нећак
either/nêt͡ɕaːk/Cyrillic, masculine
The English word 'nephew' can be translated into Serbian using several terms, most commonly нећак (either). Wiktionary also lists братанац (fraternal) and синовац (fraternal).
Meaning: fraternal or sororal nephew (noun)
Ways to say it
| Serbian | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| нећак | either | /nêt͡ɕaːk/ | Cyrillic, masculine |
| братанац | fraternal | Cyrillic, masculine | |
| синовац | fraternal | /sinǒʋat͡s/ | Cyrillic, masculine |
| сестрић | sororal | /sêstrit͡ɕ/ | Cyrillic, masculine |
| bratanac | Latin, masculine | ||
| sinovac | /sinǒʋat͡s/ | Latin, masculine | |
| sestrić | /sêstrit͡ɕ/ | Latin, masculine | |
| nećak | /nêt͡ɕaːk/ | Latin, masculine |
Serbian provides specific words to distinguish whether a nephew is the son of a brother or the son of a sister, though a general term is also widely used.
What does it mean word for word?
The term сестрић is built from сестра (sister) and the diminutive suffix -ић, literally implying a 'little sister's son'.
Which one should you use?
While нећак is the most common and neutral way to say 'nephew' regardless of whether he is the son of a brother or a sister, you can use more precise terms: use братанац specifically to denote the son of one's brother and use сестрић specifically to denote the son of one's sister.
How does it change in a sentence?
All the provided forms are masculine nouns.
How do you pronounce it?
/nêtɕaːk/
Did you know?
- While English uses one word for all nephews, Serbian culture historically prioritized these distinctions to clarify lineage and inheritance rights within the extended family.
- The Proto-Slavic root of нећак is *netьjь, which is a distant linguistic relative of the word used in many other Slavic languages.
- The term синовац describes a nephew by highlighting his status as a 'son' of a sibling, rather than his relationship to the aunt or uncle.
Examples in context
- Да ли ти је Том нећак?Is Tom your nephew?This sentence is useful for asking if someone is a person's nephew using нећак.Tatoeba #12397744 by Lebad, translation #2648099 by CK
- Имам један нећак у Београду.I have one nephew in Belgrade.
Example conversation
Marija and Stefan are looking at old family photos.
- MarijaКо је ово на слици?Who is this in the picture?
- StefanОво је мој нећак, Лука.This is my nephew, Luka.
- MarijaБаш личи на тебе!He looks just like you!
- StefanТако ми сви кажу.Everyone tells me that.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “nephew” translations and entries нећак, синовац, сестрић, sinovac, sestrić, nećak, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries нећак, сестрић, синовац, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
