Icelandic edit

Alternative forms edit

Etymology edit

Shortening of Danish København.

Proper noun edit

Köben

  1. (informal) Copenhagen (the capital city of Denmark)
    Það eru ódýr flug til Köben þessa dagana.There are some cheap flights available to Copenhagen these days.
    Kallinn loksins mættur til kóngsins Köben.I have finally made it to Copenhagen, the king's city!

Usage notes edit

This form is extremely common in colloquial speech; for many speakers it is more common than the full name Kaupmannahöfn. "Kóngsins Köben" is also a term that is commonly seen, but it is much more jocular; it refers to Copenhagen being the residence of Iceland's former king. The Icelandic usage of "Köben" is considered extremely silly by Danish people, while it is a neutral term in Iceland.