rotte
feminine, masculine
The Norwegian word for rat is rotte.
rotte refers to the rodent. It can be used with both masculine and feminine grammatical genders.
Meaning: rodent (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
The singular form rotte can be changed to the definite singular form rotta to mean 'the rat'. For plural forms, use rotter for 'rats' and use the definite plural forms rottene for 'the rats'.
Did you know?
- Norwegian has a specific word rottegift for rat poison, combining rotte and gift, where the latter means both 'poison' and 'gift'.
- The word rotte is a linguistic 'double agent' because it can also mean a 'band' or a 'group' of people, stemming from Middle Low German.
- If you are talking about a 'rat race' in a Norwegian context, you wouldn't use rotte, as the metaphor for a frantic, competitive lifestyle functions differently in Norwegian.
Examples in context
- Det er en rotte i kjelleren.There's a rat in the basement.
- Rotter kan være skadelige for helsen.Rats can be harmful to health.
- Jeg så en stor rotte i hagen.I saw a large rat in the garden.
- Er det en rotte i søpla?Is there a rat in the trash?
Example conversation
Emma and Magnus are looking at a garden near their house.
- EmmaSe, der er en rotte!Look, there is a rat!
- MagnusHvor er den, Emma?Where is it, Emma?
- EmmaDen er under busken.It is under the bush.
- MagnusUff, jeg liker ikke rotter.Ugh, I don't like rats.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “rat” translations and entries rotte, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries rotte, CC BY-SA 4.0.
