# Norwegian: endearing terms for all family members



## icecap

Hello! I need your help.
I'm looking for Norwegian terms of endearment commonly used among family members. 

Mother to son:
Mother to daughter:
Father to son:
Father to daughter:
Son to mother:
Son to father:
Daughter to mother:
Daughter to father:
Sister to brother:
Brother to brother:
Husband to wife:
Wife to husband:
Grandchild to grandfather:
Grandchild to grandmother:
Grandfather/grandmother to grandson:
Grandfather/grandmother to granddaughter:

If they're specific to an area or to your family, please indicate it.

Thank you all in advance.


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## skandinavien

My friends say "vennen min" and "skatten min" to their children all the time. Those are the only terms that come to mind at the moment.


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## oskhen

This isn't easy. Norwegian is hardly the most "endearing" of languages. And terms of endearment certainly aren't that specialized... But some suggestions:

Mother to son: "vennen" (or "vennen min", but mostly if consolation is required, or something similar) (I'd say this is mostly to small kids, but on the other hand - my mom use it to me, and I'm in my late twenties) Or "skatt"/"skatten min" - to younger kids? "Gutten min" should be suitable, also for a bit older kids 

Mother to daughter: See above. Or "jenta mi"

Father to son: Fathers will, I think, essentially use many of the same words as mothers, but more rarely. Probably not "skatten min", though. And not "vennen (min)" to older boys?  

Father to daughter: See above.

Son to mother/Son to father/Daughter to mother/Daughter to father: Can't think of anything, just the informal terms "mamma" (mom/mommy) and "pappa" (dad/daddy)

Sister to brother/Brother to brother: Nothing I can think of

Husband to wife/Wife to husband: "Kjære". Perhaps "elskling" or "vennen", but that starts to get sickening. "Elskede" is strong and pretty formal.



Grandchild to grandfather/Grandchild to grandmother: I think we've only got the informal "bestemor" (grandma) and "bestefar" (grandpa)

Grandfather/grandmother to grandson/Grandfather/grandmother to granddaughter: See parents to their children. Perhaps also "kjære" from grandmothers to granchildren - though that's kinda old-fashioned?


This is hardly my field, so to speak, so anyone please protest


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## icecap

I couldn't ask for a more detailed reply, *oskhen*. Thank you so much.


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## icecap

Thanks *skandinavien*.


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## NorwegianNYC

I think it is important to stress that (as okshen point out) this is not all that common in Norwegian. It is not that the language lacks the ability to create such, but Norwegian lacks polite forms and titles, nicknames are rare and names are almost never shortened. Let me elaborate:

*To grandparents
*Most Norwegians will address their grandparents as «mormor/morfar/farmor/farfar», but the more general «bestemor/bestefar» is also used (I cannot speak for which is used more). Variants like “beste/besta” are also common. Preferences are individual.

However, grandparents are never referred to as “mamma/pappa”, nor will a mother/father/sister/brother-in-law ever referred to as “mor/far/søster/bror”.

*To children*
This varies a lot! Whereas I think most parents have endearing terms for a child, it is almost on a case-by-case basis. There are no general endearments, except perhaps “vennen/vennen min/lille venn”. “Jenta mi/gutten min” is also common, but for the most part, people make up their own names.

There are no special terms used among siblings, and no special terms grandparents use to their grandchildren.

*To parents*
As oskhen says, “mamma/pappa” is pretty much the only in use.

*To spouse*
Again I agree with oskhen that it is very difficult to find terms more than a fraction would approve of. Most Norwegian couples I know of, do not use endearing terms to each other (many not to their kids either).


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## oskhen

When I was tiny, after my mother sang me the lullaby where God is asked to take care of father and mother, she used to add "og [my name]-ungen våres" (våres being just a colloquial version of "vår" - our). Just as an additional example. I think it's very true that, as NorwegianNYC say, this is very much on a case-to-case basis.

As for grandparents, to again use a personal example, we used "mormor" for my mother's mother, "bestefar" for my mother's father, "bestemor" for my father's mother and "farfar" for my father's father. So it doesn't need to make sense...


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## myšlenka

NorwegianNYC said:


> There are no special terms used among siblings.


I don't know how widespread and common this is, but the term _dadda_ has been used for older sisters.


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## oskhen

myšlenka said:


> I don't know how widespread and common this is, but the term _dadda_ has been used for older sisters.




Sounds very archaic?


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## NorwegianNYC

I have heard something similar used by my mother's aunts, who would use it about an older sister. But - yes - it has always sounded dated to me


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## myšlenka

oskhen said:


> Sounds very archaic?


 I assume it depends on where in the country you are from. I remember that it was used by some kids in the neighbourhood I grew up in 20-25 years ago. A quick google search indicated that it's used more in the west and in the north.


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