hygge

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Danish hygge or Norwegian Nynorsk hygge.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈhʊɡə/, /ˈhuːɡə/, /ˈhjuːɡə/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

Noun

hygge (uncountable)

1. (chiefly UK) Cosiness, comfort, contentment, conviviality. [from 21st c.]
   • 2016 November 22, Charlotte Higgins, The Guardian:

     According to this now vast popular literature, the creation of an atmosphere of hygge is aided by gløgg (mulled wine), meatballs and cardamom buns.

Translations

cosiness, conviviality

• Danish: hygge (da) c
• Dutch: gezelligheid (nl) f
• Finnish: hygge (fi)
• French: hygge (fr)
• German: Gemütlichkeit (de) f, Wohligkeit f
• Italian: accoglievolezza (it)
• Korean: 휘게 (hwige)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: hygge (no) m

• Russian: хю́гге (ru) n (xjúgge)
• Serbo-Croatian: udobnost (sh) f
• Swedish: gemyt (sv) c, trevnad (sv), mys (sv), hygge (sv)

Adjective

hygge

1. (chiefly UK) Cosy, convivial. [from 21st c.]
   • 2015, Helen Russell, The Year of Living Danishly, Icon Books Ltd, →ISBN:

     ‘So, where are they all? What's everyone doing?’
     ‘They're getting hygge,’ she tells me, making a noise that sounds a little like she has something stuck in her throat.

Usage notes

• Used in Danish or Norwegian contexts.

Danish

Etymology

From Old Danish hyggæ (“to think”), from Old Norse hyggja (“to think”), from Proto-Germanic *hugjaną (“to think, reconsider”). The modern meaning has been taken over from Norwegian in the 19th century.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /hykə/, [ˈhyɡ̊ə]

Noun

hygge c (singular definite hyggen, not used in plural form)

1. cosiness

Declension

Declension of hygge

common gender	singular
	indefinite	definite
nominative	hygge	hyggen
genitive	hygges	hyggens

Verb

hygge

1. (intransitive) to have a good time
2. (intransitive) to make it comfortable, cozy (with the preposition om)
3. (reflexive) to have a good time, enjoy oneself

Conjugation

Conjugation of hygge

active passive present hygger hygges past hyggte hyggtes infinitive hygge hygges imperative hygg — participle present hyggende past hygget (auxiliary verb have) gerund hyggen

Derived terms

• uhyggelig
• hyggelig
• hyggestund
• hyggekrog
• hyggelig fætter
• hyggesnak

References

• “hygge” in Den Danske Ordbog
• “hygge” in Ordbog over det danske Sprog
• https://www.kbh-sprogcenter.dk/da/blog/dansk-hygge/

Norwegian Nynorsk

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /²hʏɡ.ɡɑ/

Etymology 1

From Old Norse hyggja f.

Alternative forms

• hyggje (j-infix)

Noun

hygge f (definite singular hygga, indefinite plural hygger, definite plural hyggene)

1. comfort, contentment

Noun

hygge n (definite singular hygget, indefinite plural hygge, definite plural hygga)

1. an afterthought, consideration, attention

Etymology 2

From Old Norse verb hyggja.

Verb

hygge (present tense hygger, past tense hygde, supine hygd or hygt, past participle hygd, present participle hyggande, imperative hygg)

1. Alternative form of hyggja
2. Alternative form of hyggje
3. Alternative form of hygga

References

• “hygge” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.