šišmiš
Latin, masculine
The Croatian word for bat is šišmiš. Wiktionary also lists slepi miš and slijepi miš.
Meaning: small flying mammal (noun)
Ways to say it
| Croatian | Note |
|---|---|
| šišmiš | Latin, masculine |
| slepi miš | Latin, masculine |
| slijepi miš | Latin, masculine |
| netopir | Latin, masculine |
| ljiljak | Latin, masculine, regional |
The word refers to the small flying mammal. You can use several different terms depending on whether you want to be descriptive, scientific or follow regional dialects.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase slijepi miš is a compound noun that literally translates to "blind mouse".
Which one should you use?
Šišmiš is a single-word synonym for bat, whereas slijepi miš is a more descriptive compound phrase. Netopir is used as a more formal or scientific term.
Is it said differently in some regions?
Ljiljak is a regional term for bat used in certain Croatian dialects.
How does it change in a sentence?
When using the phrase slijepi miš in the genitive case (for example, to say "of the bat"), it becomes slijepog miša.
Did you know?
- The common phrase slijepi miš describes the animal as a 'blind mouse' despite bats actually having functional eyes.
- The Croatian term šišmiš shares a very similar conceptual structure with the German word 'Fledermaus', which also means 'fluttering mouse'.
- In modern Croatian, the word miš is also used as a calque for the English word 'mouse' in a computing context.
Examples in context
- Vidjela sam šišmiša kako leti noću.I saw a bat flying at night.
- Vidio sam šišmiš u šumi.I saw a bat in the forest.
- Taj šišmiš je jako brz.That bat is very fast.
- Šišmiš spava tijekom dana.A bat sleeps during the day.
Example conversation
Two friends are walking through a park at dusk.
- MateoVidi, tamo leti šišmiš!Look, a bat is flying there!
- IvanaJeste, prestrašno je.Yes, it is scary.
- MateoNe boj se, on je neopasan.Don't be afraid, it is harmless.
- IvanaZnam, ali i dalje me plaši.I know, but it still scares me.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “bat” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries miš, netopir, šišmiš, CC BY-SA 4.0.
