Kratko

Kratko is a word used in several South Slavic languages as an adverb meaning briefly or shortly. In Croatian, Bosnian, Serbian and Slovenian, kratko is the standard Latin-script spelling and is used to indicate conciseness or to limit the length of an explanation or narrative.

Etymology and form: Kratko derives from the adjective kratak, meaning short. As an adverb, it is invariable and does not change with gender, number, or case, which is typical for Slavic adverbs formed from adjectives.

Usage: Kratko is commonly employed to introduce a concise summary or a brief statement. It often appears before a clause that provides a short restatement or conclusion. In everyday speech and writing, it can be found in expressions such as kratko i jasno (briefly and clearly) or kratko rečeno (shortly stated).

Other uses: Beyond its grammatical function, kratko may occasionally appear as a surname or a toponym in some Balkan contexts, though such uses are uncommon and not widely documented in standard reference works. It is not associated with a single, widely recognized organization or location.

See also: krótkо (Polish), which corresponds to the same semantic field in a related Slavic language; kratak, the masculine form of the adjective meaning short.