Ways to say it
| Norwegian | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| jul | /jʉːl/ /jʉːɽ/ |
feminine, masculine |
| jol | /juːl/ /juːɽ/ |
feminine |
jul refers to the festival or holiday commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ. You can use the prefix jule- to create compound words related to the holiday, such as julegave (Christmas gift). To refer to the season as a whole, you might see Julen used, while Juletiden specifically refers to the Christmas period and Juledagen refers to Christmas day itself.
Which one should you use?
jul is the indefinite form used for the concept of Christmas in a general sense or as a proper noun. In contrast, the definite form jula is used when you are talking about 'the Christmas season' or 'this Christmas'.
Is it said differently in some regions?
jol is a regional variation used in some dialects.
How does it change in a sentence?
The indefinite form jul is used for the general concept. The definite form jula is used when referring to a specific Christmas season or the holiday period as a whole.
How do you pronounce it?
/jʉːl/
Did you know?
- While 'Christmas' in English is strictly a Christian-rooted name, the Norwegian jul descends from an ancient Germanic midwinter festival that existed long before Christianity arrived in Scandinavia.
- The word jul shares a very distant linguistic connection to the word for 'hollow plant stem', specifically the Old Norse 'aul'.
- In Norway, the word jul encompasses a much longer period of preparation and tradition than the single day of 'Christmas' in English.
Examples in context
- Eg er lei av jula.I'm sick of Christmas.This sentence is useful for expressing being tired of the holiday using jul.Tatoeba #12666860 by Barend, translation #8924208 by CK
- God jol og godt nyttår!Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!This sentence is useful for the greeting 'Merry Christmas' using jol.Tatoeba #12485774 by Just_Some_Guy, translation #925023 by zvaigzne
- Dette er det Tom gav meg førre jol.This is what Tom gave me last Christmas.This sentence is useful for referring to a past Christmas using jol.Tatoeba #12472819 by Just_Some_Guy, translation #4663632 by CK
- Jeg ser frem til juletiden.I am looking forward to Christmas time.
- Hva gjør du på juledagen?What are you doing on Christmas day?
- God Jul!Merry Christmas!
- Vi skal feire jul hos bestemor.We are going to celebrate Christmas at grandma's.
- Har du noen spesielle planer for jula?Do you have any special plans for Christmas?
- 8 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Andreas and Nora are talking about their holiday plans.
- AndreasSkal du hjem til jul?Are you going home for Christmas?
- NoraJa, jeg skal besøke familien min.Yes, I am going to visit my family.
- AndreasDet høres koselig ut.That sounds cozy.
- NoraTakk, jeg gleder meg veldig.Thanks, I am looking forward to it very much.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “Christmas” translations and entries jul, jol, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries jol, jul, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
