čaj
Latin, masculine
The Bosnian word for tea is čaj.
čaj refers to the drink made from the leaves of the tea plant.
Meaning: drink made from leaves of tea plant (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
In a sentence, the word changes its form based on its role: use čaja to mean 'of tea' (genitive singular), čajem to mean 'with tea' (instrumental singular) and čajevi for the plural 'teas'.
Did you know?
- The word čaj is a linguistic fingerprint of the Ottoman era in Bosnia, having been borrowed directly from Ottoman Turkish.
- In Bosnia and Herzegovina, the word čaj is often used to refer to any hot herbal infusion, such as chamomile or mint, rather than just tea made from the Camellia sinensis plant.
- In many Bosnian coffee houses, you might encounter čaj served in the same traditional copper sets used for coffee, reflecting a shared Ottoman drinking culture.
Examples in context
- Vang Lao Đi nije pivo. Čaj je.Wang Lao Ji isn't beer. It's tea.This sentence is useful for distinguishing between beer and the form čaj.Tatoeba #540499 by FeuDRenais, translation #540494 by FeuDRenais
- During official gatherings, it's customary to serve guests a hot cup of čaj.During official gatherings, it's customary to serve guests a hot cup of tea.
- Hvala vam na čaju!Thank you for the tea!
- Ovaj čaj je izvrstan!This tea is excellent!
- Mogu li ti donijeti čaj?Can I bring you some tea?
- Hoćeš li čaj ili kavu?Do you want tea or coffee?
- Volim zeleni čaj s mentom.I like green tea with mint.
- Da li imate crni čaj?Do you have black tea?
- Ovaj čaj je odličan.This tea is excellent.
Example conversation
Emir and Selma are having a break in a cafe.
- EmirSelma, hoćeš li čaj?Selma, do you want tea?
- SelmaDa, molim te.Yes, please.
- EmirEvo tvog čaja.Here is your tea.
- SelmaHvala ti, Emir.Thank you, Emir.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “tea” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries čaj, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
