kvinne
/²kʋɪnːə/feminine, masculine
The English word 'woman' is translated into Norwegian as kvinne. Wiktionary also lists dame.
Meaning: adult female person (noun)
Ways to say it
| Norwegian | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| kvinne | /²kʋɪnːə/ | feminine, masculine |
| dame | feminine, masculine |
The term refers to an adult female person.
Which one should you use?
kvinne is the standard, neutral term for a woman. In contrast, dame is used to mean 'lady' and carries a more polite or formal connotation.
How does it change in a sentence?
For the noun kvinne, the plural form is kvinner and the definite form (the woman) is kvinnen. For the noun dame, the plural form is damer and the definite form (the lady) is damen.
How do you pronounce it?
/²kʋɪnːə/
Did you know?
- In some Norwegian dialects, the word kjerring is used for 'woman', but it can be an insult or a term of endearment depending on the region.
- The Old Norse root for kvinne was actually the genitive plural of kona, meaning the word essentially grew out of a way to describe a group of wives or women.
- While dame means 'lady', it is also the common term used in Norwegian to refer to a 'woman's restroom' as dametoalett.
Examples in context
- Eg er ei dame.I am a woman.Tatoeba #12467782 by Just_Some_Guy, translation #740214 by CC
- Ho er ei dame no.She's a woman now.Tatoeba #12475671 by Just_Some_Guy, translation #1886938 by Spamster
- Hun er en sta kvinne.She's a stubborn woman.Tatoeba #10944217 by Mayk, translation #2661991 by WestofEden
- Hun er en sterk kvinne.She is a strong woman.
- Mitt møte med kvinnen forandret livet mitt.My encounter with the woman changed my life.
- Vennligst respekter damene her.Please respect the ladies here.
- Den ærverdige dama holdt en inspirerende tale.The venerable lady delivered an inspiring speech.
- Hun er ei flott jente.She is a great girl/woman.
- Vi skal møte noen jenter etterpå.We are meeting some girls/women later.
- Unnskyld frøken, hvor er nærmeste butikk?Excuse me, miss, where is the nearest store?
- Hvem var den snille fruen som hjalp deg?Who was the kind madam who assisted you?
- 41 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Magnus and Emma are discussing a new neighbor.
- MagnusKjenner du den nye naboen?Do you know the new neighbor?
- EmmaJa, hun er en hyggelig kvinne.Yes, she is a pleasant woman.
- MagnusEr hun en eldre kvinne?Is she an older woman?
- EmmaNei, hun er en ung kvinne.No, she is a young woman.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “woman” translations and entries kvinne, dame, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries dame, kvinne, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
