ulaz

Ulaz is a noun used in several South Slavic languages, most commonly Croatian, Bosnian, and Serbian, where it denotes an entrance or an entry point. It can refer to a physical opening such as the door or portal into a building, room, or space, as well as the act or permission of entering.

In everyday and technical usage, ulaz covers both concrete and abstract meanings. Physically, it describes the entry to a building or area (for example, a designated entrance labeled “Ulaz”). In architectural and signage contexts, it functions as a label indicating where to enter. In computing and information processing, ulaz is widely used to mean input, with phrases such as ulazni podaci (input data) or ulazni uređaj (input device).

The term is paired with an antonym in these languages: izlaz, meaning exit. This pair is common in directions, traffic signs, and user interfaces, where ulaz and izlaz distinguish entry from departure.

Etymologically, ulaz is derived from common Slavic roots associated with entering. Details of the origin are typically treated as language-specific, with related terms appearing across the Slavic language area.

In Slovene, the word ulaz appears primarily in technical or architectural contexts, while everyday usage more commonly employs vhod for “entrance.” Nevertheless, ulaz remains an established term in technical vocabulary and in regional varieties of the Serbo-Croatian language group.