Hrvatski · Standard Croatian
The Zagreb-based standard of Croatian, built on a Štokavian basis. Distinguished from Serbian by lexical preferences and a strict Latin-script orthography.
- Spoken in
- Approximate centre
- 45.81°, 15.98°
Pluricentric standard
Croatian vs Serbian
Croatian (Croatian) and Serbian (Serbian) are two of the four national standards of the Štokavian South Slavic language commonly referred to as BCMS (Bosnian–Croatian–Montenegrin–Serbian). Everyday speech is largely mutually intelligible; the standards differ in orthography, lexical preferences, and official status.
Srpski · Standard Serbian
The Belgrade-based standard of Serbian. Part of the Štokavian dialect continuum that underlies all four BCMS national standards (Bosnian, Croatian, Montenegrin, Serbian); written in both Cyrillic and Latin scripts.
- Spoken in
- Approximate centre
- 44.79°, 20.45°
How to read this comparison
Which one to learn
Start with Croatian or Serbian based on the community, country, or media you expect to use most.
Mutual understanding
Shared language labels do not guarantee identical speech. Compare country coverage, aliases, and audio where available.
Where to go next
Open each dialect page for sources, nearby varieties, atlas context, and app availability.
Keep exploring
Open Croatian and Serbian individually, or read about the other BCMS standards.
Continue exploring
DialectCroatianThe Zagreb-based standard of Croatian, built on a Štokavian basis. Distinguished from Serbian by lexical preferences and a strict Latin-script orthography.DialectSerbianThe Belgrade-based standard of Serbian. Part of the Štokavian dialect continuum that underlies all four BCMS national standards (Bosnian, Croatian, Montenegrin, Serbian); written in both Cyrillic and Latin scripts.CompareČakavian vs CroatianAtlasExplore the atlasOpen Croatian and Serbian individually, or read about the other BCMS standards.