Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds
Croatian uses specific suffixes like -ić, -ica, -ce, and -ak to turn standard nouns into smaller, cuter, or more affectionate versions.
- Use -ić for masculine nouns (e.g., sin -> sinčić).
- Use -ica for feminine nouns (e.g., kava -> kavica).
- Use -ce for neuter nouns (e.g., srce -> srdašce).
Diminutive Formation by Gender
| Gender | Base Noun | Suffix | Diminutive |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Masculine
|
Stol
|
-ić
|
Stolić
|
|
Feminine
|
Kava
|
-ica
|
Kavica
|
|
Neuter
|
Srce
|
-ce
|
Srdašce
|
|
Masculine
|
Pas
|
-ić
|
Psić
|
|
Feminine
|
Kuća
|
-ica
|
Kućica
|
|
Neuter
|
Polje
|
-ce
|
Poljce
|
Meanings
Diminutives are used to indicate small size, endearment, or emotional closeness to an object or person.
Physical size
Describing something literally small.
“Kućica je mala.”
“To je mali psić.”
Affection
Expressing love or warmth toward someone.
“Draga mamice!”
“Gdje je moj sinčić?”
Politeness/Softening
Making a request sound less demanding.
“Mogu li dobiti kavicu?”
“Samo trenutak, molim.”
Reference Table
| Form | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
|
Affirmative
|
Noun + Suffix
|
Kavica
|
|
Negative
|
Nije + Noun + Suffix
|
Nije kavica
|
|
Question
|
Je li + Noun + Suffix?
|
Je li to kavica?
|
|
Plural
|
Noun + Suffix + i/e
|
Kavice
|
|
Genitive
|
Noun + Suffix + a
|
Kavice (of the coffee)
|
フォーマル度スペクトル
Molim jednu kavu. (Cafe)
Može jedna kava? (Cafe)
Može kavica? (Cafe)
Kavica, brate! (Cafe)
Diminutive Suffix Map
Masculine
- -ić Small/Cute
Feminine
- -ica Small/Cute
Neuter
- -ce Small/Cute
レベル別の例文
Ovo je moja kavica.
This is my little coffee.
Vidi, mali psić!
Look, a little dog!
Gdje je moja kućica?
Where is my little house?
Daj mi papirić.
Give me a small piece of paper.
Može jedna kavica s mlijekom?
Can I have a small coffee with milk?
Moj sinčić ide u školu.
My little son is going to school.
Ovo je lijepa ručica.
This is a pretty little hand.
Imaš li kakav plančić?
Do you have a little plan?
Samo sekundić, molim vas.
Just a quick second, please.
Pogledaj ovaj oblačić na nebu.
Look at this little cloud in the sky.
Kupila sam slatku haljinicu.
I bought a cute little dress.
Napiši mi kratki mejlić.
Write me a short little email.
Njezin je glasić bio vrlo tih.
Her little voice was very quiet.
Napravili smo mali izletić u prirodu.
We took a short little trip to nature.
To je samo mali problemčić.
That is just a small little problem.
Njezine su ručice bile hladne.
Her little hands were cold.
Njegov je osmijeh bio tek blagi smiješak.
His smile was just a slight little grin.
Svi ti silni planovi su postali samo plančići.
All those grand plans became just little schemes.
U njezinim očima vidio se sjajni iskričavost.
In her eyes, one could see a sparkling little glint.
Nije to bio posao, već samo mali poslić.
It wasn't a job, just a little side gig.
Ta njezina dječja naivnost bila je gotovo dirljiva.
That childish naivety of hers was almost touching.
U tom malom gradiću vrijeme kao da je stalo.
In that little town, time seemed to have stopped.
Njegov je stil pisanja pun sitnih stilskih finesa.
His writing style is full of tiny little stylistic nuances.
Sve te sitnice čine život ljepšim.
All those little things make life more beautiful.
間違えやすい
Learners mix up -ić (small) and -ina (big).
Using -ica for masculine nouns.
Using diminutives for everything.
よくある間違い
Stolica
Stolić
Kav-ić
Kavica
Pasica
Psić
Kuć-ić
Kućica
Srceić
Srdašce
Veliki stolić
Stolić
Kavica velika
Kavica
Šefić (to boss)
Šef
Problemica
Problemčić
Gradica
Gradić
Previše kavica
Previše kave
Planica
Plančić
Djetence
Dijete
Kućica velika
Kućica
文型パターン
Može jedna ___?
Ovo je moj mali ___.
Samo ___ molim.
Taj ___ je jako sladak.
Real World Usage
Može jedna kavica?
Vidimo se za sekundić!
Gdje je moj sinčić?
Imate li kakvu haljinicu?
Dodajte malo umakića.
Imam mali prijedlog.
Gender Matters
Don't Overuse
Politeness
Regional Variation
Smart Tips
Use -ica to sound like a local.
Use diminutives to show affection.
Use -ić to soften the request.
Use -ić for a cozy feel.
発音
Palatalization
When adding -ić, the final consonant often softens.
Friendly
Kavica? ↑
Rising intonation makes it sound more inviting.
暗記しよう
記憶術
Think of 'Ić' as 'Itty-bitty' for boys, and 'Ica' as 'Itty-bitty' for girls.
視覚的連想
Imagine a giant coffee cup shrinking into a tiny, cute 'kavica' when you add the suffix.
Rhyme
For boys use -ić, for girls use -ica, it makes your Croatian sound like a treat-ica!
Story
Little Marko (Markić) went to the cafe. He ordered a small coffee (kavica). He sat on a little chair (stolić) and felt happy.
Word Web
チャレンジ
Find 3 objects in your room and try to turn them into diminutives.
文化メモ
Dalmatians love diminutives; they use them for almost everything to sound warmer.
Zagreb speakers use them for politeness in shops.
They use them to show hospitality.
Slavic diminutive suffixes have Proto-Slavic roots.
会話のきっかけ
Što piješ?
Kako se zove tvoj pas?
Imaš li kakav plančić za vikend?
Kako ti se sviđa ovaj gradić?
日記のテーマ
よくある間違い
Test Yourself
Može jedna ___ (kava)?
Moj mali ___ (pas).
Find and fix the mistake:
To je stolica (small table).
Ovo je kuća.
Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:
Diminutives are only for size.
A: Što piješ? B: ___
mali / pas / moj / je
Score: /8
練習問題
8 exercisesMože jedna ___ (kava)?
Moj mali ___ (pas).
Find and fix the mistake:
To je stolica (small table).
Ovo je kuća.
Srce - ?
Diminutives are only for size.
A: Što piješ? B: ___
mali / pas / moj / je
Score: /8
よくある質問 (8)
No, it sounds childish if overused.
Some neuter nouns have irregular diminutive forms.
No, it means chair.
Yes, diminutives decline like normal nouns.
Rarely, only in personal letters.
You must know the gender to form the diminutive correctly.
Yes, some regions use them more frequently.
It depends on the gender of the base noun.
Scaffolded Practice
1
2
3
4
Mastery Progress
Needs Practice
Improving
Strong
Mastered
In Other Languages
-ito/-ita
Spanish is more consistent with -ito/-ita, whereas Croatian changes based on gender.
-chen/-lein
In Croatian, the gender of the noun stays the same.
-ette
Croatian has a much wider variety of suffixes.
-chan
Croatian suffixes are morphological, not honorific.
Tasghir pattern
Croatian uses suffixation, Arabic uses internal template changes.
Xiao (小)
Croatian uses suffixes.
