лаку ноћ
laku noćCyrillic
In Serbian, "good night" is expressed as лаку ноћ (laku noć). Wiktionary also lists laku noć.
Meaning: a farewell (phrase)
Ways to say it
| Serbian | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| лаку ноћ | laku noć | Cyrillic |
| laku noć | Latin |
The phrase is used exclusively as a farewell when people are parting ways for the evening or going to sleep, not as a greeting upon arrival.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is a shortened version of Желим ти лаку ноћ (I wish you a light night), where лаку is the accusative form of лака (light/easy).
Which one should you use?
Unlike the English "good night" which can sometimes be used as a greeting in very specific contexts, лаку ноћ is strictly a parting phrase.
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase uses the accusative case for both words, which is why лака (nominative) becomes лаку and ноћ (nominative) becomes ноћ (accusative).
How do you pronounce it?
laku noć
Did you know?
- If a Serbian speaker says лаку ноћ with a sarcastic tone during a conversation, it can be used to dismiss someone or end an argument abruptly, similar to saying 'we are done here'.
- While лаку ноћ is the standard farewell, Serbians may use the word лака to wish someone an 'easy' experience in many other contexts, such as лака вожња for a safe and easy drive.
- The Serbian word for 'night' ноћ is a linguistic relative of the English word 'night'. Both trace their roots back to the Proto-Indo-European word nókʷts.
Examples in context
- Лаку ноћ!Good night!This example shows the use of лаку ноћ as an exclamation.Tatoeba #1714768 by Dimitrije, translation #426950 by Pun_intended
- Лаку ноћ.Good night.This example shows the use of лаку ноћ as a standard parting statement.Tatoeba #8830490 by Lebad, translation #2362724 by NotApplicable
- Hvala vam! Vama želim isto. Laku noć!Thank you! I wish you the same. Good night!
- Hvala ti, brate! Laku noć!Thank you, brother! Good night!
- Лаку ноћ, свима!Good night, everyone!
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Milica and Stefan are going to bed.
- MilicaУморна сам, идем у кревет.I am tired, I am going to bed.
- StefanИ ја такође. Лаку ноћ, Милице.Me too. Good night, Milica.
- MilicaЛаку ноћ, Стефане.Good night, Stefan.
- StefanЛепо спавај.Sleep well.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “good night” translations and entries лаку ноћ, laku noć, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries noć, ноћ, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
