kærlighed
/ˈkɛrliˌheːd/common gender
The English word 'love' is translated to Danish as kærlighed.
While kærlighed refers to the abstract concept or emotion of love, the verb elske is used to express the action of loving someone.
Meaning: strong affection (noun)
Which one should you use?
kærlighed is used for the noun representing the emotion, whereas the verb elske is used to describe the act of loving.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The definite genitive form of kærlighed is kærlighedens.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈkɛrliˌheːd/
When do people say it?
The term Kæreste translates to 'boyfriend' or 'girlfriend'. The term Skat translates to 'treasure' or 'darling' and is a common pet name used among partners in Denmark. The term Elskerinde specifically refers to a female lover.
Did you know?
- The word Skat, used to mean 'darling' or 'treasure', is also the standard Danish word for 'tax'.
- In Danish, the word elske is traditionally reserved for deep romantic love and is used much more sparingly than the English word 'love'.
- The suffix in kærlig was likely the result of a linguistic accident where two different, now obsolete endings were confused with one another.
Examples in context
- Ved du hvad kærlighed er?Do you know what love is?This sentence is useful for asking about the definition of kærlighed.Tatoeba #2127748 by danepo, translation #2126162 by CM
- Åbn døren for kærligheden.Open the door for love.This sentence demonstrates a metaphorical use of kærlighed.Tatoeba #1143771 by danepo, translation #719602 by Vortarulo
- Tom var mit livs kærlighed.Tom was the love of my life.This sentence shows how to use kærlighed to describe a person being the love of one's life.Tatoeba #7752824 by danepo, translation #5738096 by CM
- Jeg elsker min familieI love my family
- Han har en elskerindeHe has a lover
- Jeg holder af digI love you
- Hej skatHi, darling
- Min kæresteMy boyfriend/girlfriend
- Jeg holder af dig, skatI love you, darling
- Du har en speciel plads i mit hjerteYou have a special place in my heart
- 44 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Mads and Mette are talking about their relationship.
- MadsJeg tror på vores kærlighed.I believe in our love.
- MetteJeg gør også, Mads.I do too, Mads.
- MadsKærlighed gør alt bedre.Love makes everything better.
- MetteDet har du helt ret i.You are absolutely right about that.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “love” translations and entries kærlighed, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries kærlighed, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
