свиња
svínja/sʋǐːɲa/Cyrillic, feminine
The Serbian word for pig is свиња (svínja) (svinja). Wiktionary also lists svinja.
Meaning: mammal of family Suidae (noun)
Ways to say it
| Serbian | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| свиња | svínja | /sʋǐːɲa/ | Cyrillic, feminine |
| svinja | /sʋǐːɲa/ | Latin, feminine |
The term refers to the mammal of the family Suidae. Like in English, it can be used figuratively to describe a person who is dirty, greedy or behaves immorally.
Which one should you use?
The word is provided in two scripts: the Cyrillic form свиња and the Latin form svinja.
How does it change in a sentence?
The singular form is свиња (or svinja) and the plural form is свиње.
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is svínja. The IPA is /sʋǐːɲa/.
Did you know?
- While свиња (svinja) is the general word for pig, Serbian has a distinct word прасе (prase) specifically for a piglet, which is also used as a term of endearment for children.
- In traditional Serbian village culture, the ritual slaughter of the свиња (svinja) in winter is a communal social event that often involves the whole neighborhood.
- The Serbian word свиња shares an ancient ancestor with the English word 'swine', both tracing back to the same Proto-Indo-European root.
Examples in context
- Tom je oduvek bio svinja.Tom has always been a pig.This sentence shows the figurative use of svinja to describe a person.Tatoeba #5039755 by Lebad, translation #5030685 by CK
- U selu imam farmu sa mnogo svinja.In the village, I have a farm with many pigs.
- Svinja je jedna od najvažnijih životinja u stočarstvu.The pig is one of the most important animals in livestock farming.
- Idemo da nahranimo prasad.Let's go feed the pigs.
- Kupili smo malo prase za žurku.We bought a little pig for the party.
- Та свиња је веома велика.That pig is very large.
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Marko and Ana are visiting a farm.
- MarkoГледај, Ана, тамо је мала свиња!Look, Ana, there is a little pig!
- AnaО мој боже, каква је слатка свиња.Oh my god, what a cute pig.
- MarkoМожемо ли да је похранимо?Can we feed it?
- AnaПитай власника фарме за дозволу.Ask the farm owner for permission.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “pig” translations and entries свиња, svinja, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries svinja, свиња, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
