Why is blonde hair called “blue” in Croatian

Why blonde is blue in Croatian

The Croatian term for blonde hair, “plava,” seems puzzling as it translates to “blue.”

Many people have wondered why, in Croatian, a girl with blonde hair is called a “plavuša”, which translates as ‘blue-haired’ girl.

In Old Croatian, the word “plav” was used to describe something light in colour, encompassing shades of white and golden yellow.

There was no distinction—everything was referred to as “plav.” Similarly, a person with light hair, eyes, or complexion was called “plav.”

Naturally, if their hair was light, it was also considered “plava.”

Many European languages share a common term for blonde people, derived from the root word “blond.” This term, which originates from Old French, where “blont” signified yellow or golden, is used in English as “blonde.”

The Germans have adopted it as “blondine,” while Italians use “bionda.”

Croatian isn’t the only language that seemingly illogically refers to blonde hair. In Spanish, the term “rubio” is used for a blonde person, which literally means red, while in Portuguese, “loira” translates to blue.

“The term ‘plav’ in relation to hair comes from its older meaning—bright—because in other Slavic languages, related words indicate light colours, such as white or yellowish. The meaning of ‘plav’ as blue was borrowed from Bavarian German. Since blue can also be light (like the sky), these two terms intersect. They are not related but are coincidentally similar,” Alemko Gluhak, a professor who taught language culture courses for many years at the Faculty of Political Science in Zagreb, explained to Srednja.hr.

‘Plavuša’

It is also important to note that colours have not always been perceived in the same way. In the past, it was more important whether a shade was bright or dark rather than its specific hue. This is the key to understanding why blonde hair is referred to as “plava.”