onkel
masculine
The Norwegian word for uncle is onkel. Wiktionary also lists farbror and morbror.
Meaning: brother (or brother-in-law) of someone’s parent (noun)
Ways to say it
| Norwegian | Note |
|---|---|
| onkel | masculine |
| farbror | masculine |
| morbror | masculine |
The term for an uncle is used to refer to the brother or brother-in-law of one's parent. While onkel is the standard general term, Norwegian also provides specific words to identify which side of the family the uncle belongs to.
Which one should you use?
onkel is the general term for any uncle. If you want to be specific about which parent the uncle is related to, you use farbror for a paternal uncle (father's brother) or morbror for a maternal uncle (mother's brother).
How does it change in a sentence?
The masculine noun onkel becomes onkelen in its definite form (the uncle). When expressing possession, such as 'your uncle', it is common in Norwegian to place the possessive pronoun after the noun, resulting in the phrase onkelen din.
Did you know?
- If you use the word onkel in a casual setting, you might actually be referring to a person's character rather than their family tree. In some contexts, 'onkel' can describe someone who is perceived as somewhat old-fashioned or 'uncle-like'.
- The word onkel entered Norwegian via French, but the native terms farbror and morbror are built from the basic words for 'father' and 'mother'.
- Because Norwegian distinguishes between paternal and maternal uncles, it also has distinct words for aunts, such as fartante for a father's sister and mørtante for a mother's sister.
Examples in context
- Hvor bor onkelen din?Where does your uncle live?This sentence shows how to ask about the residence of onkel.Tatoeba #2895383 by eirik174, translation #17412 by CK
- Min onkel bor nær skolen.My uncle lives near the school.This sentence is useful for stating that onkel lives near a school.Tatoeba #2818077 by eirik174, translation #65069 by CK
- Onkelen min bor i New York.My uncle lives in New York.This sentence shows the use of the definite form onkelen to say 'my uncle' lives in New York.Tatoeba #5826474 by Meggie, translation #251173 by shekitten
- 9 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Andreas and Nora are looking at a family photo.
- AndreasHvem er dette på bildet?Who is this in the picture?
- NoraDet er min onkel, Geir.That is my uncle, Geir.
- AndreasEr han veldig snill?Is he very kind?
- NoraJa, han er en kjempefin onkel.Yes, he is a wonderful uncle.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “uncle” translations and entries onkel, morbror, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries farbror, morbror, onkel, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
