књига
Cyrillic, feminine
The English word "book" is књига in Serbian. Wiktionary also lists knjiga.
Meaning: collection of sheets of paper bound together containing printed or written material (noun)
Ways to say it
| Serbian | Note |
|---|---|
| књига | Cyrillic, feminine |
| knjiga | Latin, feminine |
The term refers to a collection of sheets of paper bound together containing printed or written material. In slang, you may encounter the term štiva to refer to a book.
Which one should you use?
The word is written in two scripts: књига uses the Cyrillic alphabet and knjiga uses the Latin alphabet. The form knjižica is an informal diminutive used to mean a book.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The word is a feminine noun. The plural form is књиге or knjige, and the instrumental singular form (used to mean "with a book") is књигом or knjigom.
Did you know?
- Serbian uses the diminutive knjižica not just for small books, but specifically to refer to official booklets like passports or health records.
- Historically, the earliest Serbian 'books' were not bound volumes but scrolls, and the term књига originally applied to any written record regardless of its physical shape.
- In traditional Serbian culture, the 'book' was often associated with the Orthodox Church's liturgical texts, making the word carry a weight of spiritual authority for centuries.
Examples in context
- Књига је на столу.There's a book on the table.This sentence shows the location of the књига.Tatoeba #8876602 by Lebad, translation #8859076 by sundown
- Ова књига је њена.This book is hers.This sentence demonstrates possession using књига.Tatoeba #12405685 by Lebad, translation #56864 by CK
- Knjiga je na polici.The book is on the shelf.This sentence shows the location of the knjiga.Tatoeba #4971855 by Lebad, translation #4969010 by Choctaw_Irish
- Zbirka eseja Nikole Tesle je izuzetna knjiga.Nikola Tesla's collection of essays is an excellent book.
- Preporučujem ti knjigu "Na Drini ćuprija" od Ive Andrića.I recommend the book 'The Bridge on the Drina' by Ivo Andrić to you.
- Ovo je moja knjiga.This is my book.
- Poredajući svoje stvari, primetio sam tatinu knjigu.While arranging my things, I noticed my father's book.
- U biblioteci se nalazi mnogo zanimljivih knjiga.There are many interesting books in the library.
- Kolekcija pripovedaka je proširena novim knjigama.The collection of short stories has been expanded with new books.
- Imam novu knjižicu za čitanje u parku.I have a new little book to read in the park.
- Ova knjižica je baš zanimljiva!This little book is really interesting!
- Hoćeš da pozajmiš tu štivu?Do you want to borrow that book?
- Čeka me kući jedna dobra knjigica za opuštanje.A good little book for relaxing is waiting for me at home.
- 38 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Nikola and Ana are at a bookstore.
- NikolaКоја је ова књига?Which book is this?
- AnaТо је нова књига о историји.That is a new book about history.
- NikolaДа ли је та књига скупа?Is that book expensive?
- AnaНе, прилично је јефтина.No, it is quite cheap.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “book” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
