štakor
/ʃtâkor/Croatia, Latin, masculine, usually
The English word 'rat' is translated into Croatian as štakor. Wiktionary also lists pacov.
Meaning: rodent (noun)
Ways to say it
| Croatian | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| štakor | /ʃtâkor/ | Croatia, Latin, masculine, usually |
| pacov | Latin, Serbia, masculine, usually |
The term refers to the rodent known as a rat. It is used to distinguish the larger rodent from a mouse, which is called miš.
Which one should you use?
While štakor is the standard term used in Croatia, the word pacov is more commonly used in Serbia.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Croatia, the standard word is štakor, whereas in Serbia, pacov is more common.
How does it change in a sentence?
Both štakor and pacov are masculine nouns.
How do you pronounce it?
/ʃtâkor/
Did you know?
- In Croatian, if you call a person a štakor, it is a severe insult implying they are a person of low character or a snitch.
- In Croatian folklore, rats and similar rodents were sometimes viewed as omens of bad luck or even harbingers of plague, a sentiment reflected in old proverbs.
- If a Croatian person refers to a 'small rat' as a štakorić, they are using a diminutive that can actually make the animal sound cute or harmless, a nuance lost in English.
Examples in context
- Već duže vrijeme traje rat na istoku zemlje.There has been a war in the east of the country for a long time.
- Opet imamo taj rat na televiziji.We have that war on television again.
Example conversation
Ana and Luka are cleaning the garage.
- AnaLuka, pogledaj onaj štakor tamo!Luka, look at that rat over there!
- LukaGdje? Ne vidim ništa.Where? I don't see anything.
- AnaBio je pored onih kutija.It was next to those boxes.
- LukaBrzo ćemo ga izbaciti van.We will get it out quickly.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “rat” translations and entries štakor, pacov, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
