Slovak Language Made Simple: From Letters to Literature

The official language of Slovakia is Slovak. It belongs to the Slavic language family, just like Czech, Polish, and Russian. Slovak is also part of the larger Indo-European language group. You can hear Slovak not only in Slovakia, but also in the Czech Republic, the United States, and anywhere people with Slovak heritage live.

Today, around 6 million people speak Slovak around the world.

A Country of Many Languages

While most people in Slovakia speak Slovak, many also speak other languages:

• In the south, many people speak Hungarian.
• In the northeast, some communities speak Russian.
• In total, about 1 in 5 people in Slovakia speak a language other than Slovak as their first language.
• Around 68% of the population speaks two or more languages, and Czech is the most common second language.

The Slovak Alphabet

Slovak is written using a version of the Latin alphabet, like English. But it also includes some special letters with accents. Usually, each letter stands for one sound, which makes reading and writing more straightforward for kids!

Here are the letters in the Slovak alphabet:

Lowercase letters:
a, á, ä, b, c, č, d, ď, dz, dž, e, é, f, g, h, ch, i, í, j, k, l, ĺ, ľ, m, n, ň, o, ó, p, q, r, ŕ, s, š, t, ť, u, ú, v, w, x, y, ý, z, ž

Capital letters:
A, Á, Ä, B, C, Č, D, Ď, DZ, DŽ, E, É, F, G, H, CH, I, Í, J, K, L, Ĺ, Ľ, M, N, Ň, O, Ó, P, Q, R, Ŕ, S, Š, T, Ť, U, Ú, V, W, X, Y, Ý, Z, Ž

Vowels in Slovak

Slovak vowels help give the language its musical sound. The vowels are:
a, á, ä, e, é, i, í, o, ó, y, ý, u, ú

Slovak Consonants

There are also many consonants, some of which might sound new to learners:
b, c, č, d, ď, dz, dž, f, g, h, ch, j, k, l, ĺ, ľ, m, n, ň, p, q, r, ŕ, s, š, t, ť, v, w, x, z, ž

Don’t worry if this seems like a lot! With fun practice, Slovak pronunciation becomes easy to follow.

A Slovak Hero: Juraj Jánošík

In many Slovak folktales, children learn about Juraj Jánošík (1688–1713). He’s often compared to Robin Hood because the stories say he took from the rich to give to the poor. Slovak kids love hearing about his brave and clever adventures.

Learn Slovak with Dinolingo

Children can explore the Slovak language through fun songs, games, stories, and videos with Dinolingo. Designed for ages 2 to 14, Dinolingo helps young learners read the alphabet, learn words, and understand Slovak culture. It’s available on web, iOS, and Android—and one subscription works for up to six users. Start learning Slovak today and bring this beautiful language to life!