björn
[ˈpjœrtn̥]masculine
The Icelandic word for bear is björn.
The word refers to the large mammal of the family Ursidae.
Meaning: large mammal of family Ursidae (noun)
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun is masculine. To specify a particular bear, you can use the definite form björninn (the bear). When the word is used as the direct object of a sentence in the accusative case, it changes to bjarna.
Did you know?
- Because there are no wild bears in Iceland, the word björn is more frequently encountered in names, literature, or metaphors than in nature documentaries.
- The word björn is also a common male given name in Iceland.
- In old Icelandic poetry, poets avoided using the word björn and instead used 'kennings' like 'forest-walker' to describe the animal.
Examples in context
- Ásgeir spyrði: "Hvernig á að segja 'bear' á íslensku?"Ásgeir asked: "How do you say 'bear' in Icelandic?"
- Elín sagði: "Hey, veistu hvað 'bear' er á íslensku?"Elín said: "Hey, do you know what 'bear' is in Icelandic?"
- Björninn er mjög stór.The bear is very large.
Example conversation
Gunnar and Kristín are looking at a picture book of animals.
- GunnarSjáðu, þetta er björn!Look, this is a bear!
- KristínHann er mjög brúnn.He is very brown.
- GunnarJá, björn borgaðu mikið af fisk.Yes, bears eat a lot of fish.
- KristínÞað er áhugavert.That is interesting.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “bear” translations and entries björn, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
