Ways to say it
| Croatian | Note |
|---|---|
| kava | Latin, feminine |
| kafa | Latin, feminine |
| kahva | Latin, feminine |
All forms of the word refer to the beverage. You may encounter specific types such as Turska kava, which refers to Turkish-style coffee often served with sugar or Makijato, an espresso shot topped with a small amount of milk foam. If you want coffee with whipped cream, you can ask for Kava sa šlagom.
Which one should you use?
The forms kava, kafa and kahva all mean coffee but are used in different contexts and regions.
Is it said differently in some regions?
kava is the standard Croatian word used in official and formal contexts. kafa is commonly used in parts of Croatia that border Bosnia and Herzegovina or in informal speech influenced by neighboring languages. kahva is an older or dialectal variant often found in specific regional contexts or historical literature.
How does it change in a sentence?
The standard form kava changes to kave when using the genitive singular (meaning 'of coffee').
Did you know?
- In Croatia, the phrase idemo na kavu literally means 'let's go for coffee', but it is often used as a general invitation to meet up and socialize, regardless of whether anyone actually drinks coffee.
- The Croatian word kava originates from the Ottoman Turkish kahve, which was borrowed from the Arabic qahwa.
- While kava is the standard term, the variant kafa reflects the historical influence of the Ottoman Empire on the Balkans and remains a linguistic marker of regional identity.
Examples in context
- Gdje je kava?Where's the coffee?This sentence is useful for asking for the location of the kava.Tatoeba #6050762 by kkupus, translation #6050339 by Hybrid
- Kava je hladna.The coffee is cold.This sentence is useful for describing the temperature of the kava.Tatoeba #2499651 by Myushiro, translation #462654 by lukaszpp
- Je li kava dovoljno jaka?Is the coffee strong enough?This sentence is useful for asking about the strength of the kava.Tatoeba #13793456 by mervert1, translation #6198546 by sundown
- Molim jednu kavu.One coffee, please.
- Da li imate kavu s mlijekom?Do you have coffee with milk?
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Marko and Mia are meeting at a cafe.
- MarkoŽeliš li jednu kavu?Do you want a coffee?
- MiaDa, molim te, jedna kava.Yes, please, one coffee.
- MarkoHoćemo li običnu ili s mlijekom?Shall we have plain or with milk?
- MiaMoja kava neka bude s mlijekom.Let my coffee be with milk.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “coffee” translations and entries kahva, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries kafa, kava, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
