ljudskoj

Ljudskoj is a grammatical form of the Slavic adjective meaning human or humane, used in the South Slavic languages Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian and Montenegrin. It is the feminine singular form used to modify feminine nouns in certain cases, specifically the dative and locative.

As an inflectional form, ljudskoj appears when the adjective agrees with a feminine noun in these cases. For example, in phrases such as ljudskoj pravdi (to human justice, dative) or u ljudskoj zajednici (in the human community, locative), the ending -skoj marks the feminine singular dative or locative form.

Etymology traces the root to the noun ljudi, meaning people or humans, from the Proto-Slavic root *ljudъ. The adjective ljudski (and its feminine ljudska) derive from this root, with the feminine singular forms transforming through the typical Slavic declension pattern to ljudskoj in specific cases.

Usage notes indicate that ljudskoj is not a standalone concept but a grammatical form. It occurs in formal, literary, or idiomatic language and mainly with feminine nouns. The form contrasts with masculine or neuter equivalents (e.g., ljudski, ljudsko) that appear with corresponding gendered nouns.

In practice, ljudskoj reflects how agreement between adjective and feminine noun is maintained in sentences expressing human-related attributes, rights, communities, or values, contributing to precise phrasing in legal, ethical, or cultural discourse.