melk
/mɛlk/feminine, masculine
The English word milk is translated into Norwegian as melk or mjølk.
Meaning: liquid (noun)
Ways to say it
| Norwegian | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| melk | /mɛlk/ | feminine, masculine |
| mjølk | feminine, masculine |
Both forms refer to the liquid noun milk. You can also use the related verbs melke or mjølke to mean the act of expressing milk from a mammal.
Which one should you use?
The difference between melk and mjølk is purely a matter of choosing between the two written standards (Bokmål and Nynorsk) rather than a difference in meaning.
Is it said differently in some regions?
melk is the standard spelling in Bokmål, while mjølk is the standard spelling in Nynorsk.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The word is an uncountable noun and does not have a plural form used for the liquid itself. To say 'the milk' (the definite form), add the suffix '-en' to the masculine form to get melken.
How do you pronounce it?
/mɛlk/
Did you know?
- In Norway, you can find Kulturmelk, a fermented, thick milk that is a staple in Norwegian breakfasts and is quite different from English 'milk'.
- The Nynorsk form mjølk preserves the Old Norse mjolk, maintaining a phonetic structure that was lost in the Danish-influenced Bokmål.
- The verb melke is used metaphorically in Norwegian to describe the act of extracting resources or profit from a situation, much like the English phrase 'to milk a situation'.
Examples in context
- Ha i litt melk.Add a little milk.This sentence shows how to use the form melk for adding a small amount.Tatoeba #12757642 by pckv, translation #19454 by CK
- Mjølk er ei væske.Milk is a liquid.This sentence uses the form mjølk to define it as a liquid.Tatoeba #12487031 by Just_Some_Guy, translation #12427363 by rul
- Jeg vil ha melk også.Give me some milk, too.This sentence uses the form melk to express a desire for more.Tatoeba #2881861 by eirik174, translation #250027 by CK
- Jeg ønsker en kopp melkI would like a cup of milk
- Har du mjølk i kjøleskapet?Do you have milk in the fridge?
- Kan du ta fram mjølkja?Can you take out the milk?
- Melk smaker aller best når den er kald.Milk tastes best when it's cold.
- 36 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Ingrid and Andreas are in the kitchen in the morning.
- IngridHar vi melk igjen?Do we have milk left?
- AndreasNei, jeg må kjøpe melk.No, I must buy milk.
- IngridKan du kjøpe en liter melk?Can you buy a liter of milk?
- AndreasJa, det skal jeg gjøre.Yes, I will do that.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “milk” translations and entries melk, mjølk, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries melk, mjølk, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
