Basics · Alphabet
The letters lj and nj are single sounds
In Serbian, lj and nj are not two sounds but one. Lj sounds like the "lli" in "million", nj like the "ny" in "canyon". Each counts as a single letter, and in dictionaries lj comes after l and nj after n.
Examples
ljubav
love — "lyubav"
ljubičasta
purple — "lyubichasta"
njiva
field — "nyiva"
njen
her — "nyen"
Tips
- Do not pronounce lj as "l" + "j" in two steps — say it as one soft "ly" sound.