Fun with Swedish – Compound Words. No Really. Posted by Marcus Cederström on Nov 18, 2010 in Swedish Language
Swedish words can end up being really long. I mean really long. Nordöstersjökustartilleriflygspaningssimulatoranläggningsmaterielunderhållsuppföljningssystemdiskussionsinläggsförberedelsearbeten long. I found this word on the always reliable Wikipedia, which we all know should never be doubted. Or something like that. The claim is this word holds the Guinness World Record for longest word in the Swedish language
Regardless of the veracity of the claim, I have never heard this word used in everyday speech. Surprisingly. Again, according to Wikipedia, it means: Northern Baltic Sea Coast Artillery Reconnaissance Flight Simulator Construction Equipment Maintenance Monitoring systems Talk Posts Preparation Works.
But we could have figured that out on our own. Nordöstersjökustartilleriflygspaningssimulatoranläggningsmaterielunderhållsuppföljningssystemdiskussionsinläggsförberedelsearbeten is a compound word. Or a super duper compound word if you will. We have them in English, and there are plenty of them in Swedish.
They can be intimidating. And sometimes horribly frustrating to pronounce, but by breaking the word up into smaller parts, we can (usually) figure out what is going on. Bokhylla for example, book + shelf = bookshelf. The logical combination makes perfect sense and carries over to English as well. Sometimes though, Swedish sammansatta ord become very logical. On a base level. Grönsak for example, translated literally means green thing. Of course, grönsak is the word for vegetable. Makes sense when you think about it really.
I love compound words in Swedish. Probably more than I should, but aside from their usefulness, there are quite a few that entertain me with their combinations and the way they translate directly to English.
I’ve started a list below:
Flodhäst = hippopotamus (river horse)
Pepparkakor = ginger snaps (pepper cookies)
Fruktkött = pulp (fruit meat)
Björnbär = black berry (bear berry)
Jordnötter = peanuts (dirt nuts)
Tandkött = gums (tooth meat)
Sjukhus = hospital (sick house)
Bröstvårta = nipple (breast wart)
Kofångare = bumper (cow catcher)
Blixtlås = zipper (lightning lock)
Tvättbjörn = raccoon (washing bear)
Färgglad = colorful (color happy)
What other compound words do you like?
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About the Author: Marcus Cederström
Marcus Cederström has been writing for the Transparent Swedish Blog since 2009. He has a Bachelor's Degree in Scandinavian Studies from the University of Oregon, a Master's Degree in Scandinavian Studies from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, and a PhD in Scandinavian Studies and Folklore from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He has taught Swedish for several years and still spells things wrong. So, if you see something, say something.
Comments:
Ankan:
Haha, this is so cool! I love compound words too. Gimme more! 😀
Judy:
Great topic! How about “Prästkragen?” Daisy (priest collar) I think.
Charlotte:
grönsaker is my favourite, means vegetables, translates as “green stuff” 🙂
Minty:
Hehe I love these too. I also like false friends..
farthinder= speed bump
Did you know kött means both meat and flesh? That one kind of weirded me out …
återvinningstation = recycling station (re winning station)
Another funny thing…
kyssar = kissing
kissar = peeing
So be careful how you pronounce them hahah!
Luke (Sydney):
haha, köttkött.
B R Gustafson:
Pretty interesting about Hippopotamus, almost the exact same in German!
das Flusspferd = The Riverhorse (Hippopotamus)
markus:
@B R Gustafson The “english” word “hippo” or “hippopotamus” comes from the ancient greek word “ἱπποπόταμος” meaning “River horse”.
Marcus Cederström:
@markus Absolutely right!
Marcus Cederström:
great comments and additions everyone. keep ’em coming!
Linn Olsson:
My personal favourites are:
dammsugare = vacuum cleaner (dust sucker)
sugrör = straw (suck pipe)
Other examples are:
kylskåp = refrigerator (cool/cold cupboard)
spårvagn = tram (track wagon)
sjuksyster (or, sjuksköterska) = nurse (sick sister)
sjukhus = hospital (sick house)
tandläkare = dentist (tooth doctor)
matbord = dinner table (food table, as opposed to dinner being ‘middag’ and not the general word ‘mat’)
etc. etc. 🙂
Jess:
I just looked up färgglad and apparently it’s used as slang for gays ! I love this.
kevin:
jordgubbar = strawberries (soil old men)
I always think of “Old men of the soil” 🙂
Marcus Cederström:
love all of the additions to this list
Tali:
Some of my faviorates:
Välgorenhetsorganisation
(well doing organisation… = charity)
födelsedatumprestent
(birthday present)
livsmedelsfargmnen
(food coloring)
Miljöluftföroreningen
(Environmental Air Pollution)
markus:
@Tali Actually it’s “Födelsedagspresent” in Swedish which translates into Födelse = Birth, dag(s) = day, present = present “Birth day present”.
Marcus Cederström:
Ooohh! välgörenhetsorganisation is a great one!
J:
Vagn och lokpåsättare.
It’s a tool for putting toy locomotives and wagons on the track. The funny thing is that the word “påsättare” is commonly known to mean “fucker”, so it could be translated as “wagon and locomotive fucker”. :p
Marcus Cederström:
@J Yes! And this is why spelling, pronunciation, stress, all that good stuff matters.
Simon:
Why is a raccoon a “washing bear” (“Tvattbjorn”). What am I missing here?
Marcus Cederström:
@Simon I’m not sure. Maybe because they wash their food? Or maybe because of the black around their eyes?