беба
Cyrillic, feminine
The English word "baby" can be translated into Serbian using several forms, most commonly беба (Cyrillic) or beba (Latin). If unsure, use беба. Wiktionary also lists малишан and детенце.
Meaning: very young human being (noun)
Ways to say it
| Serbian | Note |
|---|---|
| беба | Cyrillic, feminine |
| малишан | Cyrillic, masculine |
| детенце | Cyrillic, neuter |
| дјетенце | Cyrillic, neuter |
| новорођенче | Cyrillic, neuter |
| одојче | Cyrillic, neuter |
| дојенче | Cyrillic, neuter |
| beba | Latin, feminine |
| mališan | Latin, masculine |
| detence | Latin, neuter |
| djetence | Latin, neuter |
| novorođenče | Latin, neuter |
| odojče | Latin, neuter |
| dojenče | Latin, neuter |
The term беба is a gender-neutral way to refer to a baby of any age. For a more affectionate or colloquial tone when referring to a small child or a little boy, you can use малишан (Cyrillic) or mališan (Latin).
Which one should you use?
While беба is a general term for any baby, новорођенче (Cyrillic) or novorođenče (Latin) specifically refers to a newborn. If you want to refer specifically to a nursing infant or a suckling child, use дојенче (Cyrillic) or dojenče (Latin). The forms детенце / detence and дјетенце / djetence are also neuter forms used for a child. Одојче (Cyrillic) or odojče (Latin) is another neuter form.
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form of беба is бебе.
Did you know?
- While English speakers use 'baby' as a romantic term, calling a partner беба in Serbian can sound infantile or awkward and is far less common in romantic contexts.
- The word беба is onomatopoeic, meaning it was created by imitating the soft, repetitive sounds that infants make.
- Serbian uses a specific diminutive suffix to create neuter nouns like детенце and новирођенче, which adds a layer of tenderness and fragility to the description of a baby.
Examples in context
- Тада сам био беба.I was a baby then.This sentence shows how to use беба to refer to oneself in the past.Tatoeba #8810174 by Lebad, translation #5823343 by OsoHombre
- Tom više nije beba.Tom isn't a baby anymore.This sentence uses beba to describe someone who is no longer a baby.Tatoeba #5002940 by Lebad, translation #4984296 by CK
- Zaboravio sam uređaj za nadgledanje beba.I forgot the baby monitor.This sentence uses beba in the context of a baby monitor.Tatoeba #4238270 by Lebad, translation #4237807 by Hybrid
- 5 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are looking at a photo on a phone.
- MarijaПогледај, ово је моја беба.Look, this is my baby.
- LukaОвај беба је преслатка!This baby is adorable!
- MarijaХвала, беба заиста много спи!Thanks, the baby really sleeps a lot!
- LukaТо је одлично за родитеље.That is great for the parents.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “baby” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries беба, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
