komarac
/komǎːrat͡s/Latin, masculine
The English word mosquito is komarac in Croatian. Wiktionary also lists komarica.
Meaning: small flying insect of the family Culicidae, known for biting and sucking blood (noun)
Ways to say it
| Croatian | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| komarac | /komǎːrat͡s/ | Latin, masculine |
| komarica | Latin, feminine |
The term refers to the small flying insect of the family Culicidae, which is known for biting and sucking blood.
Which one should you use?
komarac is the standard masculine noun for the insect, while the feminine form komarica is often used colloquially or affectionately to refer to a single mosquito or specifically to a female mosquito.
How does it change in a sentence?
The masculine form komarac changes to komarca in the genitive singular. This form is required after most expressions of quantity or possession, such as in the phrase ujed komarca (a mosquito bite).
How do you pronounce it?
/komǎːrats/
Did you know?
- In Croatian culture, the phrase komarac is sometimes used metaphorically to describe a person who is annoying, persistent and insignificantly small in their influence.
- The root of the word, *komarъ, is a common thread across the Slavic language family, meaning that the name for this insect is nearly identical in languages from Poland to Bulgaria.
- Croatian uses the specific word ujed for a mosquito bite, which literally means 'a bite' but is distinct from the word used for eating or chewing food.
Examples in context
- Nažalost, komarci su vrlo dosadni ovdje.Unfortunately, mosquitoes are very annoying here.
- Molim te, donesi sprej protiv komaraca.Please bring mosquito repellent.
- Nosim dugu odjeću kako me ne bi ugrizli komarci.I wear long clothes to avoid mosquito bites.
- Prekrižite se ako vidite komarca.Cross yourself if you see a mosquito.
- Molim te, zatvori prozor kako komarci ne bi ušli.Please close the window so mosquitoes don't get in.
- Uvijek me izluđuju komarci svojim zujanjem.Mosquitoes always drive me crazy with their buzzing.
- Komarac me je ugrizao.A mosquito bit me.
Example conversation
Petra and Ivan are sitting on a balcony at night.
- PetraJao, jedan komarac je ušao u sobu!Oh, a mosquito entered the room!
- IvanGdje je on?Where is it?
- PetraIznad tvog stola je.It is above your table.
- IvanSada ću ga uhvatiti.I will catch it now.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “mosquito” translations and entries komarac, komarica, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries komarac, CC BY-SA 4.0.
