мајка
Cyrillic, feminine
The English word "mother" translates to Serbian as мајка. Wiktionary also lists мати and родитељица.
Meaning: female (human) who gives birth to or parents a child (noun)
Ways to say it
| Serbian | Note |
|---|---|
| мајка | Cyrillic, feminine |
| мати | Cyrillic, feminine |
| родитељица | Cyrillic, feminine |
| mati | Latin, feminine |
| majka | Latin, feminine |
| roditeljica | Latin, feminine |
The terms used to say "mother" in Serbian describe a female human who has given birth to or parents a child.
Which one should you use?
The standard and most common way to say "mother" in everyday speech and writing is мајка. For more formal or technical administrative and legal contexts, the term родитељица is used to denote a female parent. Additionally, мати is an archaic or poetic form that is not used in standard modern conversation.
How does it change in a sentence?
The word мајка changes to мајке in the genitive singular case. This form is used to show possession or after certain prepositions.
Did you know?
- The word мајка can also function as an interjection to express pain, similar to how an English speaker might cry out 'ouch' or 'mama' when bumped.
- In Serbian, the word мајка is used in the common idiom мајка Србија to refer to the homeland, giving the country a maternal quality.
- The archaic мати is a distant linguistic cousin to the English word 'mother' and the Latin 'mater', as they all share the same Proto-Indo-European root.
Examples in context
- Моја мајка воли музику.My mother loves music.This sentence is useful for practicing the word мајка.Tatoeba #3404932 by Dimitrije, translation #251835 by CK
- Lepa je kao njena majka.She is as beautiful as her mother.This sentence is useful for practicing the word majka.Tatoeba #4238375 by Lebad, translation #316942 by CK
- Моја мајка је луда жена.My mother is a crazy woman.Tatoeba #13574803 by cafoc64474, translation #4793434 by shekitten
- Draga majkoDear mother
- Najdraža mamaDearest mom
- moja majkaMy mother
- tvoja majkaYour mother
- Dobar dan, majko.Good day, mother.
- Sretan rođendan, mama.Happy birthday, mom.
- Draga gospođo Petrović, kako se vaša majka zove?Dear Mrs. Petrović, what is your mother's name?
- 27 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Stefan and Marija are looking at an old family photograph.
- StefanКо је жена на овој слици?Who is the woman in this picture?
- MarijaТо је моја мајка.That is my mother.
- StefanОна изгледа веома млада.She looks very young.
- MarijaДа, моја мајка је била спортиста.Yes, my mother was an athlete.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “mother” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries mati, мати, мајка, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
