(Free image from Pixabay; no copyright.)

Writing a postkort (postcard) can be a great way to practice your language skills. It’s also a nice way to show people you think about them. While firing off a digital message is quicker, receiving a postcard is funnier, and most people will appreciate the extra effort…

Postkort (postcards) are sold in many different places in Norway, typically somewhere like a bokhandel (bookstore). If in doubt, you can say things like:
Har dere postkort? (Have you got postcards?)
Hvor kan jeg kjøpe postkort? (Where can I buy postcards?)
Har dere frimerker? (Have you got stamps?)

Heldigvis (fortunately), there are no rules for postcards – you can write (or doodle!) whatever you want. Still, they typically do include a date/location, an intro greeting to the receiver, and an outro greeting from you. Here’s an example:

Lofoten, 31. august 2018
Hei Ola!
Hvordan går det? Jeg håper dere har det bra. 🙂
Jeg koser meg i Lofoten. Været er fint og de norske vennene mine har lært meg å fiske. I kveld skal vi lage bål på stranda.
Vi snakkes!
Klem fra Kari

(Hi Ola!
How are you? I hope you guys are doing fine.
I’m having a great time in Lofoten. The weather is nice and my Norwegian friends have taught me how to fish. Tonight we’re going to make a fire at the beach.
See you!
Hugs from Kari)

Some points to notice:
• Norwegian dates usually follow the sequence day-month-year (in the above example it could also be written as 31/8 2018)
• Hei is an easy-going word. If you want to be more intimate OR formal, go for Kjære… (Dear…)
• There are many ways to end a postcard. If hugging is not your style, you could go for (med) vennlig hilsen (friendly greetings), (med) kjærlig hilsen (”loving greetings”), or just hilsen (greetings) – like this: Hilsen Kari (Greetings [from] Kari).

Finding a postkasse (letter box) for your postcard shouldn’t be too hard in Norway. The Norwegian postal service typically has a counter in a supermarket where you can buy frimerker (stamps). Lykke til! (Good luck!)