Learning Serbian has its perks, and getting to know its written script is surely one of them. It might have already caught your eye that Serbian language has two slightly different scripts – Cyrillic (ћирилица) and Latin (latinica). Even though it may sound confusing at first, this writing system is perfectly phonetic and perhaps the most logical aspect of the language you will come across. Stick with us, and you will be reading Serbian street signs, restaurant menus, and messages in no time!
Serbian Alphabet – Two scripts, one language
It is not every day that you learn a European language and encounter two different scripts right at the start. Even though it may sound confusing at first, it is rather fun to practise Serbian by spelling and comparing words in Cyrillic and Latin. However, while Cyrillic is the official script of Serbia, Latin is widely used in everyday life, media, advertising, packaging, and even while chatting. It is due to westernisation and popular culture that Latin is generally more widespread but if you open a traditional Serbian newspaper, the headlines will be in Cyrillic. It is a bit like being bilingual in writing.
A bit of history
The Serbian Cyrillic script was standardised in 1818 by Vuk Karadžić, who is considered to be a major reformer of the Serbian language. “Write as you speak, and read as it is written” (Piši kao što govoriš i čitaj kao što je napisano) was one of his most famous mottos, and this is exactly the gist of his reformation – that each letter should match only one exact sound in the Serbian language. The end result was a simple and phonetic system of 30 letters, easy to read and a pleasure to write.
On the other hand, the Latin alphabet for Serbian became more common during Yugoslav times, especially in Croatia and Bosnia. Still, both alphabets represent the same 30 sounds, and each letter in one alphabet corresponds to a letter in the other. So whether you are reading “dobrodošli” or “добродошли”, you are still reading “welcome.”
How many letters are in Serbian alphabet? – Serbian alphabets overview
Let’s take a quick look at both alphabets side by side:
| Latin | Cyrillic |
| A | А |
| B | Б |
| V | В |
| G | Г |
| D | Д |
| Đ | Ђ |
| E | Е |
| Ž | Ж |
| Z | З |
| I | И |
| J | Ј |
| K | К |
| L | Л |
| Lj | Љ |
| M | М |
| N | Н |
| Nj | Њ |
| O | О |
| P | П |
| R | Р |
| S | С |
| T | Т |
| Ć | Ћ |
| U | У |
| F | Ф |
| H | Х |
| C | Ц |
| Č | Ч |
| Dž | Џ |
| Š | Ш |
As you can see, there is 30 letters and every sound has its own letter — no double letters like in English (“th,” “sh,” “ch”). This makes both pronunciation and spelling way easier once you get the hang of it.
How to practice both scripts?
When learning Serbian, it is best to become familiar with both alphabets, even if you start by focusing on just one. Here are some tips:
- Start with Latin if you are already familiar with Western European languages — it will feel more intuitive.
- Switch to Cyrillic once you are comfortable with reading basic words. Use it when reading signs, menus, or subtitles, or use it for your shopping lists and messaging.
- Finally, write in both: Try journaling short sentences using Cyrillic one day and Latin the next. Change your keyboard settings or install a Serbian keyboard app so you can practice typing in both.
Many language learners find it helpful to learn Cyrillic first, since it is the official script, and then use Latin as a “backup” when navigating daily life. Knowing Cyrillic is a great feat which can also help you with many other languages that use this script, such as Russian, Ukrainian, Bulgarian, Belorussian, Macedonian, and many local languages in Central Asia.
Where can you see each alphabet?
While both Cyrillic and Latin scripts are used side by side, the usage can often depend on the context. Cyrillic is traditionally used in official settings like government documents, national TV channels, and formal literature. You will also notice it while walking around and checking out street names, monuments and kafanas.
The Latin alphabet, however, dominates in everyday life — it is everywhere online, in magazines, ads, and especially on social media and messaging apps. Most Serbs switch between the two without even thinking about it, and if you learn both scripts, you will be able to read just about everything and feel totally in the loop, no matter where you are or what you are reading.
Magical Alphabet swap
Let’s take the word for “school” in Serbian:
In Latin: škola
In Cyrillic: школа
Do not let the scripts confuse you – it is the same word, same pronunciation, same meaning, just written in a different script. With a bit of practice, you will get used to this switch in no time.
Now let’s see another fun example – a pangram (a sentence containing all letters of the alphabet) in each script:
In Latin: Recite želju i biće — mađija džinovskog duha iz flaše počinje!
In Cyrillic: Реците жељу и биће — мађија џиновског духа из флаше почиње!
(Make a wish and it will come true — the magic of the giant genie in the bottle begins!)
With just a flick of the alphabet wand, Latin turns into Cyrillic and vice versa, making the magic of Serbian language more and more captivating with every word you spell!
Fun facts about the Serbian script
- The Serbian Cyrillic alphabet is one of the most phonetically precise writing systems in the world.
- Serbian is one of the few languages that officially uses both scripts.
- Each of the 30 letters corresponds to one and only one sound — no exceptions!
Should I learn both alphabets?
Both Cyrillic and Latin alphabets are an integral part of the Serbian language. Trying to choose between them is not only a tough task for us language lovers, but a disservice to any learner as well. The good news is – you don’t have to master both right away. But learning both alphabets will certainly give you an edge when reading Serbian books, even movie subtitles and magazines. For example, you can use children’s books or comics to practice reading — apart from interesting stories, they will provide you with simple vocabulary and quite clear fonts.
So the simple and short answer is – Yes!
Serbian Alphabet Spelling Bee Game
Ready to put your new alphabet skills to the test? Here’s a fun challenge inspired by the classic Spelling Bee word game: using only these 7 letters, how many Serbian words can you make?
Latin: m, a, s, e, l, o, p
Cyrillic: м, а, с, е, л, о, п
Each word must have at least three letters, and you can use each letter more than once. Remember to write each word in both scripts!
Hint: There are at least 15 common Serbian words hiding here 🙂
