uzdravlje
Latin
The English phrase "cheers" can be translated into Croatian as uzdravlje, živeli or čin čin.
Meaning: toast when drinking (intj)
Ways to say it
| Croatian | Note |
|---|---|
| uzdravlje | Latin |
| živeli | Latin |
| čin čin | Latin |
These terms are used when making a toast while drinking. When you use uzdravlje to make a toast, it is common practice to make eye contact with the person you are clinking glasses with.
Which one should you use?
čin čin is an onomatopoeic expression that mimics the sound of glasses clinking and is used in more informal settings. While uzdravlje is a standard way to toast, živeli and the informal variant Nazdravlje! (meaning "To health!") are also common.
When do people say it?
When making a toast with uzdravlje, it is customary to maintain eye contact with the person you are clinking glasses with.
Did you know?
- In some Balkan traditions, toasting with water is avoided because it is viewed as a symbolic toast to death.
- While nazdravlje is used for toasts, it is also the standard way to say 'bless you' after someone sneezes.
- The word čin in the rhythmic toast čin čin is a linguistic descendant of the Proto-Slavic term for an 'act' or 'deed'.
Examples in context
- Uzdravlje!Cheers!
Example conversation
Ana and Marko are having a drink at a restaurant.
- AnaUzdravlje, Marko!Cheers, Marko!
- MarkoHvala, Ana. Uzdravlje!Thanks, Ana. Cheers!
- AnaNadam se da ti se sviđa vino.I hope you like the wine.
- MarkoVrlo je ukusno, hvala ti.It is very tasty, thank you.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “cheers” translations and entries uzdravlje, živeli, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries čin, živeli, CC BY-SA 4.0.
