Ways to say it
| Croatian | Note |
|---|---|
| lijep | Latin |
| lep | Latin |
The word lijep is the most common and general way to say 'beautiful' in Croatian. Other related words include prekrasan or prekrasna for 'gorgeous' or 'magnificent', and divan or divna for 'lovely' or 'charming'. If you want to say someone is 'handsome' or 'pretty', you might use zgodan or zgodna depending on the gender.
Which one should you use?
lijep is the standard Croatian form, while lep is more common in Serbian or certain Croatian dialects.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The form lep is considered colloquial or dialectal.
Is it said differently in some regions?
The form lep is used in certain regions and is a common feature of specific Croatian dialects as well as Serbian.
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective changes its ending to match the gender and number of the noun it describes: lijepa is used for feminine singular, lijepo for neuter singular, lijepi for masculine plural and lijepe for feminine plural.
Did you know?
- While lijep means 'beautiful', the word lijepo can be used as an adverb to mean 'well' or 'politely'. For example, lijepo se ponašaj means 'behave yourself' or 'behave nicely'.
- The word zgodan, used for 'handsome', shares a root with the word for 'suitable' or 'convenient'. This suggests that beauty in this context is linked to being 'fitting' or 'well-proportioned'.
- Croatian speakers often use lijepo sarcastically to mean the opposite. Saying lijepo te si sjetio can actually mean 'how very thoughtful of you' in a mocking tone when someone forgot something.
Examples in context
- Danas je lijep dan.Today is a beautiful day.This sentence demonstrates the use of the masculine form lijep to describe a day.Tatoeba #1396131 by vlado, translation #1396171 by CK
- Pokupila je lijepa kamenja.She picked up beautiful stones.This sentence shows the feminine form lijepa being used to describe stones.Tatoeba #5359659 by kkupus, translation #310744 by CM
- Ima lijep cvijet, ali ne rađa plodove.Its flower is beautiful, but it bears no fruit.This sentence uses the masculine form lijep to describe a flower.Tatoeba #6048189 by kkupus, translation #49210 by zumley
- Tvoja haljina je lijepa.Your dress is beautiful.
- Pogledaj tu prekrasnu plažu!Look at that gorgeous beach!
- Dobar dan, gospođo, divne su vam oči.Good day, madam, you have lovely eyes.
- 9 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Ana and Luka are looking at a photo of a city.
- AnaPogledaj ovaj grad, stvarno je lijep.Look at this city, it is really beautiful.
- LukaDa, arhitektura je nevjerojatna.Yes, the architecture is amazing.
- AnaŽelim posjetiti svaki lijep kut grada.I want to visit every beautiful corner of the city.
- LukaIdemo zajedno sljedeće godine.Let's go together next year.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “beautiful” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
