skje
/ʃeː/feminine, masculine
The English word spoon is skje in Norwegian. It is also spelled skei.
Meaning: scooped utensil for eating (or serving) (noun)
Ways to say it
| Norwegian | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| skje | /ʃeː/ | feminine, masculine |
| skei | feminine, masculine, alternative form |
A spoon refers to a scooped utensil used for eating or serving.
Which one should you use?
skje is the standard Bokmål spelling, while skei is a common alternative spelling often associated with specific dialects or Nynorsk.
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form of skje is skje enough in the indefinite or skjer in the definite. When using the feminine gender, the indefinite article is ei skje.
How do you pronounce it?
/ʃeː/
Did you know?
- The word skje shares an unexpected ancestry with the Old Norse word for a 'war ship' or 'sheath', skeið.
- The word skje is used in the Norwegian term for a 'spoon-bill' bird, showing how the utensil's shape defines the animal's name in the language.
- In many Norwegian dialects, the way you pronounce the 'sk' sound in skje can change depending on whether you are in the east or the west of the country.
Examples in context
- Ho tok ei skei.She took a spoon.The sentence is useful for showing someone taking a skei.Tatoeba #12487775 by Just_Some_Guy, translation #2875953 by Amastan
- Dette er ei skei.This is a spoon.The sentence is useful for identifying that this is a skei.Tatoeba #12487776 by Just_Some_Guy, translation #3605387 by karloelkebekio
- Gjev meg ei skei.Give me a spoon.The sentence is useful for requesting a skei.Tatoeba #12487779 by Just_Some_Guy, translation #4788268 by NatsuDonkey
- 8 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Emma and Kristoffer are in the kitchen preparing dinner.
- EmmaKristoffer, hvor er den store skje?Kristoffer, where is the big spoon?
- KristofferDen ligger i skuffen, Emma.It is in the drawer, Emma.
- EmmaJeg finner ingen skje her.I cannot find any spoon here.
- KristofferSe bak tallerkenen, der er en skje.Look behind the plate, there is a spoon.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “spoon” translations and entries skje, skei, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries skei, skje, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
