stolica
/stɔˈli.t͡sa/
The Polish word for the political capital of a state or nation is stolica.
stolica is used to refer to the chief city that serves as the seat of a government.
Meaning: chief (in a political sense, as being the seat of the general government of a state or nation) (adj)
How does it change in a sentence?
The word changes its form depending on its role in a sentence. The plural form is stolice. Use stolicę when the word is the direct object of a sentence. Use stolicy when expressing possession, such as "the capital of…", or when using the preposition w (in). Use stolicą when used with the preposition z (with) or in certain predicate constructions.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation is /stɔˈli.tsa/. It has 3 syllables and the stress is on the 2nd of 3 syllables.
Did you know?
- The word stolica literally translates to 'seat' or 'chair' in a physical sense. It describes the place where a leader sits to exercise authority.
- While English uses 'capital' to refer to both money and cities, Polish uses entirely different words for these concepts, so you cannot use stolica for financial capital.
- When referring to the capital of Poland, the word stolica is so strongly associated with Warsaw that the city is often called 'the capital' as a proper noun.
Examples in context
- Bridgetown to stolica Barbadosu.Bridgetown is the capital of Barbados.This sentence is useful for identifying the capital of a specific country using stolica.Tatoeba #12062302 by uvenit127, translation #7907536 by MarijnKp
- Jak nazywa się stolica Madagaskaru?What's the capital of Madagascar called?This sentence is useful for asking the name of a country's capital using stolica.Tatoeba #4412301 by Baakamono, translation #8160546 by TheNightAvl
- Stolica Algierii, Algier, jest także największym miastem tego państwa.The capital of Algeria, Algiers, is also the country's largest city.This sentence is useful for providing information about a capital city using stolica.Tatoeba #11142769 by Nastolatka, translation #10120470 by Amastan
- Warszawa jest stolicą Polski.Warsaw is the capital of Poland.
- Warszawa to miasto stołeczne Polski.Warsaw is the capital city of Poland.
- 3 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Piotr and Anna are discussing a trip to Europe.
- PiotrChcę odwiedzić Warszawę, bo to stolica Polski.I want to visit Warsaw, because it is the capital of Poland.
- AnnaSłyszałam, że to bardzo nowoczesne miasto.I heard that it is a very modern city.
- PiotrTak, każda stolica ma swój unikalny klimat.Yes, every capital has its own unique atmosphere.
- AnnaTo prawda, chętnie tam pojadę z tobą.That's true, I would love to go there with you.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry stolica, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
