Koliko

Koliko is an interrogative word used in several South Slavic languages, most prominently Slovenian, Croatian, Bosnian, and Serbian. It means "how much" or "how many" and is employed to inquire about quantity, extent, or degree. It commonly introduces questions about price, amount, or frequency, for example, Koliko stane? (How much does it cost?) or Koliko ljudi imaš? (How many people do you have? / How many people are there?).

Usage and function vary slightly by language, but the core purpose remains the same: to request quantitative information. Koliko can appear before a noun to specify the quantity, as in koliko denarja (how much money), koliko para/ ljudi (how many people), and can be part of longer question structures or subordinate clauses. In many contexts, it is used with both countable and uncountable nouns, covering a wide range of everyday questions.

Grammatically, koliko is typically treated as an invariable interrogative word in many dialects and serves as a determiner or an adverb within a question. Its form is shared across related languages, with minor regional pronunciation and spelling differences.

Etymology and cognates: koliko derives from the common Slavic root for quantity and is cognate with similar forms in other Slavic languages, such as Russian skol’ko and Polish ile, all serving the same basic function of asking about quantity or extent. The word’s ubiquity across Slovenian, Croatian, Bosnian, and Serbian reflects the shared linguistic heritage of these languages.

See also: cognates in other Slavic languages, such as Russian skól’ko and Polish ile, which express the same concept in their respective tongues.