glossary of croatian people, places, and words

baka (BOCK-ah). Grandmother.

čaj (CHAI). Tea.

Čelimbaša (CHELL-eem-bash-ah). The ski hill in Mrkopalj.

Željko and Anđelka Crnić (JHEL-ko and ON-jell-kuh TSER-nitch). Our next-door neighbors to the north in Mrkopalj. Owners of the best backyard in town.

Željko Cuculić (TZU-tzu-litch). The tourism director for Mrkopalj; my former nemesis.

Delnice (DELL-neets-uh). The biggest town in Mrkopalj county.

džezva (JEZ-vah). A small pot with a long handle designed for making Turkish coffee.

gemišt (gem-EESHT). A popular Mrkopalj drink—half white wine, half fizzy water.

Gorski Kotar. A forested region of Croatia that roughly translates to “mountain district.” Its main cities are Rijeka and Karlovac. It is separated from Slovenia by the Kupa River.

groblje (GROBE-lee-yay). Cemetery.

Joj meni (YOY MAN-ny). Oh my!

Karlovačko (KAR-loe-vatch-koe). A brand of Croatian beer.

Mrkopalj (MER-koe-pie). The village of my great-grandparents in the Gorski Kotar region of Croatia where my family and I lived in 2009 for a period of about four months.

Novi Varoš (NO-vee VAR-osh). Our street in Mrkopalj. It means “new way.”

Ožujsko (OH-zhu-skoe). A brand of Croatian beer.

Pavice and Josip Paškvan (PAH-veets-uh and YO-seep POSH-kvan). Our farm-family neighbors and owners of the evil dog Cesar.

Valentin and Jelena Radošević (VAL-en-teen and YELL-eh-nuh rad-OH-sheh-vitch). My great-grandparents on my mother’s side. They left Mrkopalj in the early 1900s.

rakija (ROCK-ee-uh). A clear liquor made by the people of most Slavic countries, but distilled particularly well in Mrkopalj. Good luck trying to get their secret recipe, though.

Rijeka (ree-YAY-kuh). A major port city thirty minutes from Mrkopalj.

Viktor and Manda Šepić (SHEP-itch). Our elderly next-door neighbors to the south in Mrkopalj.

The Family Starčević (STAR-cheh-vitch). The family we lived with in Mrkopalj. Parents Robert and Goranka and daughters Ivana, Karla, and Roberta.

Stari Baća (STAR-ee BOTCH-uh). Robert’s café-bar.

šuma (SHOE-muh). Forest.

Šume Pjevaju (SHOE-meh PYEH-vah-you). The oldest bar in Mrkopalj.

Ustaše (OO-stash-ee). An ultranationalist Croatian movement that became the pro-Nazi, eastern European arm of Fascism responsible for the World War II Yugoslavian genocide.

Zagmajna (zag-MINE-uh). The biathlon training field on the outskirts of Mrkopalj.

živjeli (ZHEE-vell-ee). Cheers! Locally, it is said that one must maintain eye contact when making this toast, or suffer seven years of sexual bad luck.