Last Updated on December 6, 2021 by QCity Editorial Stuff
There are many differences between Serbian and Croatian, but the most notable difference is that Serbian uses both Latin and Cyrillic alphabets while Croatian only uses Latin. The language has evolved to reflect its geographical location in Europe versus Asia, which can be seen in the writing systems. Serbian also makes use of both genders when speaking, unlike Croatian which only uses masculine or feminine pronouns for nouns depending on whether they are animate or not. These differences make it clear that these languages developed separately from each other rather than being two dialects of a single language.
The two languages that are most similar to Croatian and Serbian are Czech and Slovak. They share the same vocabulary, phonology, grammar structure, writing system, history, etc. However, there are some differences between these languages which is why they aren’t considered dialects of one another. This article will outline some of those differences so you can better understand them if you encounter them in conversation or reading material.
Comparison Between Serbian And Croatian
| Parameters of Comparison | Serbian | Croatian |
| Population | 7,373,000 | 4,284,000 |
| Alphabet | Cyrillic | latin |
| Religion | Eastern orthodox church | Roman Catholicism |
| Language | Serbian | Croatian |
What Is Serbian?
Serbian has been standardized to follow the Eastern variant of Church Slavonic since it split from Western Slavonic in the 10th century AD. This blog post will explore where Serbian came from, its history as well as some interesting facts about the language today.
Serbian began as a group of dialects that were all derived from Proto-Slavic around 1000 years ago known as Church Slavonic which was used for liturgical purposes between Eastern Orthodox Christians. The first written record of a modern-day Serbian appeared in 1275 called ‘The Charter of Prince.
What Is Croatian?
The Croatian language is a South Slavic language. The official standard version of the Croatian language is recognized by law and it has been used in all branches of state administration, education, and science for decades. It is interesting that though Croatia declared independence from Yugoslavia, they kept the same name for their official languages as Serbia did – Serbian, Bosnian and Croatian. These three languages are completely different from each other but at the same time, you can see many similarities between them since they share a common root or heritage. This was one of the biggest issues during conflicts in former Yugoslavia – Serbians insisted on calling these three languages dialects/variants instead of separate languages while Croats maintained that they were completely different with only some words being similar due to common roots. Despite this, all three languages are written using Latin alphabets which is in contrast to Serbian and Bosnian who use Cyrill.
10 Differences Between Serbian And Croatian
Population: Serbia has a population of 7,373,000 and Croatia has 4,284,000.
Alphabet: Serbian is written in the Cyrillic alphabet and Croatian is written in the Latin alphabet.
Religion: Serbia uses the Eastern Orthodox Church as its religion while Croatia follows Roman Catholicism.
Language: The official languages of Serbia are Serbian (official) and Hungarian (spoken by a minority), whereas the official language of Croatia is Croatian.
Capacity: The capital city of Serbia is Belgrade with a population of 2 million people; the capital city of Croatia is Zagreb with a population of around 800 thousand people.
Currency: The currency used for business transactions in both countries is Euros.
Food: Traditionally, Serbian food includes a lot of dairy products such as cheese and yogurt whereas Croatian cuisine does not include much dairy.
People: In Serbia, you would find more people who speak Russian than those who speak English or German.
Sea: Croatia has a coastline on the Adriatic Sea while Serbia’s coast is on the Black Sea.
Part: Croatia was formerly part of Yugoslavia but now it isn’t; however, Serbia still is to this day.
Interesting Statistics Or Facts Of Serbian
1. Serbia is home to the second-largest mountain in Europe, Mount Durmitor.
2. Serbia has a population of 7 million people.
3. Serbian is spoken by 6 million people around the world.
4. The average life expectancy for men in Serbia is 66 years old.
5. Women have an average life expectancy of 74 years old.
6. 8 different ethnic groups are living in Serbia today.
Interesting Statistics Or Facts Of Croatian
1. Croatia is the country with the most Adriatic coast.
2. Croats are proud of their language and culture, which they have preserved even in exile.
3. The Croatian national anthem was adopted in 1891.
4. In 1990, a referendum on independence from Yugoslavia passed with 93% voting for it.
5. One of the symbols of Croatia is a red-and-white checkerboard pattern called “Titova”.
6. Croatian cuisine has many influences from other countries nearby such as Hungary and Austria.
Conclusion About The Differences Between Serbian And Croatian
The differences between Serbian and Croatian are too vast to cover in one blog post. Serbia has a long history of fighting for independence, which is why it’s the only country that doesn’t officially recognize Kosovo as an independent nation. Croatia was part of Yugoslavia until 1991 when they declared their independence with warring factions on both sides. Many Serbians feel like Croats stole their land after Tito died because he had been protecting them from being absorbed into other countries surrounding them at the time. These two cultures have different languages, religions, art forms, architecture styles, and more but if you’re interested in learning about these differences then don’t miss out on our next article! We will be exploring everything you need to know about this complex relationship between these two countries. Meanwhile, if you want to learn more about Serbian or Croatian language lessons in Dallas, don’t hesitate to give us a call.
References:
Resource 01: https://www.mustgo.com/worldlanguages/serbian/
Resource 02: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Croatian_language
