How to Say “Home” in Norwegian

Ways to say it

Hjem and heim are both used as nouns to mean the house or structure in which someone lives. Hjem is the most general and commonly used word for home in Norwegian.

Which one should you use?

When expressing movement toward a destination, use the directional forms hjem, heim or hjemover (homewards). To describe the state of being stationary at a location (at home), use the adverbs hjemme or heime.

Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?

The word bolig is a more formal word for home often used in legal or official settings. The term hjemsted is a term that specifically refers to the place where someone's home is located.

Is it said differently in some regions?

Hjem is the standard Bokmål form, whereas heim is the Nynorsk form or a common dialectal variant.

Related words

At home (adv): hjemme, heime.

Homewards (adv): hjem, heim, hjemover.

How does it change in a sentence?

The forms hjemme (Bokmål) and heime (Nynorsk) are used to mean 'at home' (stationary), distinct from the directional 'hjem/heim'.

What mistakes should you avoid?

English speakers often mistakenly use hjemme when they mean 'to go home' (direction), but hjemme only indicates being already present at the location.