cizí

Cizí is a Czech adjective meaning foreign, unfamiliar, or not belonging to the speaker’s own group or origin. It is used to describe people, objects, languages, customs, places, and ideas as originating outside a given context. The term can be neutral, simply descriptive, or carry a sense of distance or otherness depending on the context. Examples include cizí jazyk (foreign language), cizí zemi (foreign country), and cizí kultura. In everyday usage, cizí often emphasizes a lack of familiarity or belonging, rather than mere origin in another country.

The word contrasts with zahraniční, which typically highlights national origin or international relation, whereas cizí focuses on belonging, familiarity, or origin relative to a reference point. In social or evaluative contexts it can imply unfamiliarity or non-membership, but it is not inherently pejorative.

Morphology and usage: cizí is an adjective that agrees with the noun in gender, number, and case (for example, cizí člověk, cizí žena, cizí věci, cizími lidmi). It is commonly used in compound expressions such as cizí jazyk, cizí prostředí, or cizí majetek (someone else’s property).

Etymology and related forms: cizí derives from Proto-Slavic roots meaning “other” or “foreign,” and has cognates in other Slavic languages (for instance Slovak cudzí, Russian chuzhoy). Related Czech forms include cizinec (foreigner) and, less commonly, cizost (foreignness).

See also: zahraniční; cizinci; vlastní (the opposite of foreign).