How to Say “Kiss” in Croatian

Ways to say it

The nouns in this group all refer to a touch with the lips. The term poljubac is the general and standard term used in Croatian to mean 'a kiss'.

Which one should you use?

While poljubac is the standard, neutral way to say 'a kiss', other forms exist for different contexts. celov is a more formal or literary term for 'a kiss' and is less common in everyday speech than poljubac, whereas pusa is an informal, often cute or affectionate way to say 'a kiss', similar to 'a smooch'.

Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?

For everyday situations, use the neutral poljubac. In literary or highly formal contexts, you may encounter the masculine form celov. For an informal, cute or affectionate tone, use the feminine form pusa.

Related words

To touch each other’s lips (verb): љубити се, пољубити се, целивати се.

To touch with the lips (verb): љубити, пољубити, целивати.

How does it change in a sentence?

The masculine noun poljubac becomes poljubci when expressing the plural 'kisses'. The feminine noun pusa becomes puse in its plural form.