The Croatian language has three main dialects that sound very different from one another.

These three dialects are Shtokavian, Chakavian, and Kajkavian.

Each one is spoken in a different geographical region of Croatia.

They differ heavily in pronunciation, vocabulary, and grammar.

Learning about these dialects helps you understand Croatian culture and geography much better.

How the dialects got their names

The names of the three Croatian dialects come from a single, specific word.

That word is the interrogative pronoun for “what”.

In Shtokavian, the word for “what” is što.

In Chakavian, the word for “what” is ča.

In Kajkavian, the word for “what” is kaj.

Linguists simply took the word for “what” in each region and added the suffix -kavski to classify the dialect.

Shtokavian (Štokavski)

Shtokavian is the most widely spoken dialect in Croatia.

It’s also the foundation for the Standard Croatian language.

When you learn Croatian in a textbook or on Talk In Croatian, you’re learning the Shtokavian dialect.

People speak Shtokavian natively in Slavonia, the Dalmatian hinterland, Lika, and most of neighboring Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Because it’s the standard national language, every Croatian understands Shtokavian perfectly.

Here’s how you ask “What is this?” in Shtokavian:

Chakavian (Čakavski)

Chakavian is the oldest written Croatian dialect.

You’ll hear Chakavian primarily along the Adriatic coast.

It’s spoken natively in Istria, the Kvarner Gulf, and on almost all of the Dalmatian islands.

Because of its coastal location, Chakavian has a lot of loanwords from Italian and the historic Venetian language.

The pronunciation often sounds softer and more melodic than Standard Croatian.

Some Chakavian speakers also drop certain consonants at the end of their words.

Here’s how you ask “What is this?” in Chakavian:

Kajkavian (Kajkavski)

Kajkavian is spoken in the northern inland parts of Croatia.

This includes the capital city of Zagreb, the Hrvatsko Zagorje region, and Međimurje.

Kajkavian shares many phonetic similarities with the neighboring Slovenian language.

It also features a significant amount of vocabulary borrowed from German and Hungarian.

The pitch and intonation of Kajkavian sound completely different from Shtokavian.

Many native Shtokavian speakers from the south actually struggle to understand strong Kajkavian dialects.

Here’s how you ask “What is this?” in Kajkavian:

Comparing dialect vocabulary

The differences between these three dialects go far beyond just the word for “what”.

Basic everyday nouns and verbs often change completely depending on the region.

Below is a table comparing a few common words across Standard Croatian (Shtokavian), Chakavian, and Kajkavian.

Croatia is a relatively small country, but its dialects are incredibly diverse.

Standard Shtokavian is all you’ll ever need to communicate anywhere in the country.

However, recognizing Chakavian and Kajkavian will help you connect with locals on a deeper level.

It also makes traveling through the different geographic regions of Croatia much more rewarding.