kjekk
/çɛkː/
The Norwegian word for handsome is kjekk.
kjekk is used to describe an attractive man. In colloquial speech, it can also be used to describe a person as being cool or nice in character.
Meaning: of man: attractive (adj)
Which one should you use?
While kjekk is used for men, pen is the more common word for describing women as attractive or beautiful.
How do you pronounce it?
/çɛkː/
Did you know?
- The word kjekk shares a common ancestor with the English word 'quick'.
- In some contexts, kjekk can be used ironically to describe someone who thinks they are more attractive or important than they actually are.
- While kjekk describes a handsome man, the word pen is used for women. If you call a man pen, it often suggests he has delicate or feminine beauty.
Examples in context
- Han var høy og kjekk.He was tall and handsome.This sentence shows how to use kjekk to describe a man's physical appearance.Tatoeba #12474174 by augine, translation #5373742 by Hybrid
- Synes du Tom er kjekk?Do you think Tom is handsome?This sentence shows how to use kjekk when asking for an opinion on someone's attractiveness.Tatoeba #2923251 by eirik174, translation #2835701 by CK
- Du er en vakker mannYou are a handsome man
- Du er veldig attraktivYou are very handsome
- Hei, du er utrolig pen!Hello, you are incredibly handsome!
- Wow, du er virkelig attraktiv!Wow, you are really attractive!
- Synes du ikke at han er en vakker mann?Don't you think he is a handsome man?
- Guttene snakker alltid om hvor pen du er.The boys always talk about how handsome you are.
- Han er en kjekk mann.He is a handsome man.
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Emma and Andreas are looking at a photo of a man.
- EmmaSe på ham, han er veldig kjekk!Look at him, he is very handsome!
- AndreasJa, han er virkelig kjekk.Yes, he is really handsome.
- EmmaTror du han er snill også?Do you think he is kind too?
- AndreasDet er det vanskelig å si.That is hard to say.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “handsome” translations and entries kjekk, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries kjekk, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
