Ways to say it
| Croatian | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| teta | /têta/ | Croatia |
| tetka | /têtka/ | Latin, feminine |
| hala | /xâla/ /xǎːla/ |
Latin, feminine, regional |
| ujna | /ûːjna/ | Latin, feminine |
| daidžinca | Bosnia, Latin, feminine | |
| strina | Latin, feminine | |
| amidžinca | Bosnia, Latin, feminine |
The terms used for "aunt" in Croatian depend heavily on the specific family relationship being described.
Which one should you use?
teta is an affectionate term used when addressing or talking about an aunt, whereas tetka is the standard, more formal noun for the kinship relation. For specific family ties, strina refers to an aunt on the mother's side and ujna refers to an aunt on the father's side or the wife of one's father's brother.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
teta is an informal and affectionate term. It is the most common way for children to address their aunts and is also used as a friendly, informal way to address older women who are not related to the speaker. In contrast, tetka serves as the more formal, standard noun.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Bosnia, you may encounter the forms daidžinca and the rare, regional form amidžinca. In certain regions, the form hala is also used.
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural of the informal form teta is tete, while the plural of the standard form tetka is tetke.
How do you pronounce it?
/têta/
Did you know?
- The word hala used for 'aunt' in some regions is a loanword from Ottoman Turkish, which originally came from Arabic.
- In Croatia, teta is often used as a polite way to address any adult woman who is a family friend or a neighbor, even if there is no blood relation.
Examples in context
- Ujak mi živi u Srbiji, teta mi živi u Švedskoj, a sestra mi živi u Portugalu.My uncle lives in Serbia, my aunt lives in Sweden, and my sister lives in Portugal.This sentence shows the use of teta to talk about an aunt living in Sweden.Tatoeba #13774572 by lostmindRH, translation #13774578 by lostmindRH
- Gospođo Petrović, moja teta je vrlo draga osoba.Mrs. Petrović, my aunt is a very kind person.
- Idemo kod strine na ručak sutra.We are going to auntie's for lunch tomorrow.
- Moja teta dolazi u posjet sutra.My aunt is coming to visit tomorrow.
- Teta je kupila lijep poklon za mene.Aunt bought a beautiful gift for me.
Example conversation
Ivan and Ana are talking about a family gathering at home.
- IvanJe li teta već stigla?Has your aunt arrived yet?
- AnaDa, teta je upravo ušla u kuću.Yes, my aunt just entered the house.
- IvanDrago mi je što je ona tu.I am glad she is here.
- AnaI ja isto, ona je jako ljubazna.Me too, she is very kind.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “aunt” translations and entries teta, tetka, hala, ujna, daidžinca, strina, amidžinca, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries hala, teta, tetka, ujna, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
