Ways to say it
| Norwegian | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| svinekjøtt | neuter | |
| grisekjøtt | neuter | |
| flesk | /¹flɛsk/ | neuter |
| grisekjøt | neuter | |
| svinekjøt | neuter |
The terms in Norwegian for pork generally refer to the meat of a pig. While svinekjøtt is a standard way to refer to the meat, flesk is used specifically when discussing fatty cuts of pork, pork fat or ingredients like bacon and lard used for flavoring.
What does it mean word for word?
The word svinekjøtt is a compound of svine-, which comes from svin (pig) and kjøtt (meat).
Which one should you use?
Svinekjøtt refers to the meat of a pig in general, whereas flesk refers specifically to fatty pork or pork fat. For example, salt flesk refers to salt pork.
Is it said differently in some regions?
Grisekjøtt is the standard term used in the Bokmål written standard, though svinekjøtt is also common. Grisekjøt is the Nynorsk form of the word.
How does it change in a sentence?
All listed forms of the word are neuter nouns.
Did you know?
- The term svin can be used as an insult to describe a greedy or dirty person, which influences the perceived tone of svinekjøtt versus grisekjøtt.
- The English word 'splinter' and the Norwegian word for pork, flesk, are related through an ancient linguistic connection to 'splitting' or 'peeling'.
- In traditional Norwegian cuisine, salt flesk was a vital preservative method used to keep pork edible through the winter.
Examples in context
- Jeg spiser ikke svinekjøtt.I don't eat pork.This sentence is useful for expressing a dietary restriction regarding the form svinekjøtt.Tatoeba #8147043 by vikvaering, translation #3289799 by CK
- Svinekjøtt inneheld mykje feitt.Pork has a lot of fat.This sentence describes a nutritional characteristic of the form svinekjøtt.Tatoeba #8154885 by vikvaering, translation #2267665 by _undertoad
- salt fleskSalt porkThis phrase demonstrates how to use the form flesk to describe salt pork.
- Skal vi grille litt svinkjøtt i dag?Shall we grill some pork today?
Example conversation
Emma and Magnus are discussing what to cook for dinner.
- EmmaVil du ha svinekjøtt til middag?Do you want pork for dinner?
- MagnusJa, det høres veldig godt ut.Yes, that sounds very good.
- EmmaJeg skal kjøpe svinekjøtt på butikken.I will buy pork at the store.
- MagnusPerfekt, jeg gleder meg til det.Perfect, I am looking forward to it.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “pork” translations and entries svinekjøtt, flesk, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries flesk, svinekjøtt, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR, Wiktionary CC BY-SA 4.0.
