hai
masculine
The English word shark is translated into Norwegian as hai.
hai is a masculine noun used to refer to the predatory fish.
Meaning: fish (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun hai changes depending on its role in a sentence. Use haien for the definite form (the shark), haier for the plural (sharks) and haiene for the plural definite (the sharks). To indicate possession for a specific shark, use the definite genitive form haiens (the shark's).
Did you know?
- The modern Norwegian word hai was actually borrowed from the Dutch word haai rather than evolving directly from Old Norse in a straight line.
- While English speakers use 'shark' to describe the fish, Norwegian speakers might use the word hai in different contexts to describe certain types of professional or social 'predators'.
Examples in context
- Tom vart angripen av ein hai.Tom was attacked by a shark.This sentence is useful for seeing how hai is used as the object of an attack.Tatoeba #8423591 by vikvaering, translation #1493541 by Spamster
- Irriter meg igjen og du vil bli til hai-agn.Annoy me again and you'll be shark bait.This sentence shows how hai can be used in the compound expression for bait.Tatoeba #11802582 by vebjsand, translation #8680133 by ajje
- Haien sumde vekk.The shark swam away.This sentence demonstrates the use of the definite form haien.Tatoeba #12603608 by Barend, translation #11203429 by Amastan
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Ingrid and Kristoffer are watching a nature documentary.
- IngridSe på den store haien!Look at that big shark!
- KristofferDen ser veldig skummel ut.It looks very scary.
- IngridHvor raskt kan en hai svømme?How fast can a shark swim?
- KristofferJeg tror de er veldig raske.I think they are very fast.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “shark” translations and entries hai, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries hai, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
