Rijeka (Serbo-Croatian)

Where does "Rijeka" come from?

The name of the Croatian city 'Rijeka' is derived from the Serbo-Croatian word 'rijeka' meaning 'river'[1]. This name serves as a calque of the Latin 'Flūmen'[1]. Ultimately, the term is inherited from the Proto-Slavic '*rěka'[2].

Open questions

• The form '*rěka' is a reconstructed Proto-Slavic root rather than an attested historical form. [2]

Full etymology tree

• Rijeka (Serbo-Croatian), 'Rijeka (a city in Croatia)'
  • inherited rijeka (Serbo-Croatian), 'river'
    • inherited *rěka (Proto-Slavic), 'river'
    • calque Flūmen (Latin)

Sources

1. Rijeka (Serbo-Croatian) - Wiktionary
2. rijeka (Serbo-Croatian) - Wiktionary

Updated August 2026

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Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris