Nuuk

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Danish Nuuk, from Greenlandic Nuuk, a capitalization of Greenlandic nuuk (“a cape”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Greenlandic) /nuːk/, /nuk/, /nʊk/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -uːk

Proper noun

Nuuk

2. The capital city of Greenland.

   Synonym: Godthab (former name)

   • 2025 March 8, Miranda Bryant, quoting Tom Dans, “‘It’s very unpredictable’: divided Greenland prepares to vote amid Trump-inspired existential crisis”, in The Observer‎^[1], →ISSN, archived from the original on 21 March 2025:

     [Tom] Dans added: “We talk about outer space and trips to Mars and then when you realise Nuuk is a three-hour flight from New York City, or thereabouts, it gets interesting.”

Translations

capital of Greenland

• Arabic: نُوك m (nūk), غُودْهُوب m (ḡudhub)
• Armenian: Նուուկը (Nuukə)
• Asturian: Nuuk (ast)
• Bulgarian: Нуук m (Nuuk)
• Cherokee: ᏄᎩ (nugi)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 努克 (zh) (Nǔkè), 戈特霍布 (Gētèhuòbù) (now rare)

• Danish: Nuuk, Godthåb
• Dutch: Nuuk (nl)
• Esperanto: Nuko
• Estonian: Nuuk (et)
• Finnish: Nuuk (fi)
• French: Nuuk (fr) m
• German: Nuuk (de) n, Godthåb n
• Greenlandic: Nuuk (kl)
• Icelandic: Nuuk, Góðvon f
• Inuktitut: ᓅᒃ (nook)
• Japanese: ヌーク (ja) (Nūku), ゴットホープ (ja) (Gottohōpu)
• Korean: 누크 (Nukeu), 고트호프 (Goteuhopeu)
• Latin: Bona Spes
• Marathi: नूक (nūk)
• Norwegian: Godthåb
• Pitcairn-Norfolk: Nuuk
• Polish: Nuuk (pl) m
• Portuguese: Nuuk f, Godthaab f
• Russian: Нуу́к (ru) m (Nuúk), Нук m (Nuk), Го́тхоб m (Gótxob)
• Spanish: Nuuk (es)
• Swedish: Nuuk (sv), Godthåb
• Thai: นุก (núk)
• Ukrainian: Ну́ук m (Núuk), Нук m (Nuk), Го́тгоб m (Hóthob)

Anagrams

• Unuk

Danish

Etymology

From Greenlandic Nuuk.

Proper noun

Nuuk (genitive Nuuks)

1. Nuuk (the capital city of Greenland)

Synonyms

• Godthåb (less frequently)

Estonian

Etymology

From Greenlandic Nuuk.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈnuːk/

Proper noun

Nuuk

1. Nuuk (the capital city of Greenland)

Finnish

Etymology

From Greenlandic Nuuk.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈnuːk/, [ˈnuːk]
• Rhymes: -uːk
• Syllabification^(key): Nuuk
• Hyphenation^(key): Nuuk

Proper noun

Nuuk

1. Nuuk (the capital city of Greenland)

Declension

Inflection of Nuuk (Kotus type 5/risti, no gradation)
nominative		Nuuk	—
genitive		Nuukin	—
partitive		Nuukia	—
illative		Nuukiin	—
		singular	plural
nominative		Nuuk	—
accusative	nom.	Nuuk	—
	gen.	Nuukin
genitive		Nuukin	—
partitive		Nuukia	—
inessive		Nuukissa	—
elative		Nuukista	—
illative		Nuukiin	—
adessive		Nuukilla	—
ablative		Nuukilta	—
allative		Nuukille	—
essive		Nuukina	—
translative		Nuukiksi	—
abessive		Nuukitta	—
instructive		—	—
comitative		See the possessive forms below.

Possessive forms of Nuuk (Kotus type 5/risti, no gradation)

first-person singular possessor singular plural nominative Nuukini — accusative nom. Nuukini — gen. Nuukini genitive Nuukini — partitive Nuukiani — inessive Nuukissani — elative Nuukistani — illative Nuukiini — adessive Nuukillani — ablative Nuukiltani — allative Nuukilleni — essive Nuukinani — translative Nuukikseni — abessive Nuukittani — instructive — — comitative — — second-person singular possessor singular plural nominative Nuukisi — accusative nom. Nuukisi — gen. Nuukisi genitive Nuukisi — partitive Nuukiasi — inessive Nuukissasi — elative Nuukistasi — illative Nuukiisi — adessive Nuukillasi — ablative Nuukiltasi — allative Nuukillesi — essive Nuukinasi — translative Nuukiksesi — abessive Nuukittasi — instructive — — comitative — — first-person plural possessor singular plural nominative Nuukimme — accusative nom. Nuukimme — gen. Nuukimme genitive Nuukimme — partitive Nuukiamme — inessive Nuukissamme — elative Nuukistamme — illative Nuukiimme — adessive Nuukillamme — ablative Nuukiltamme — allative Nuukillemme — essive Nuukinamme — translative Nuukiksemme — abessive Nuukittamme — instructive — — comitative — — second-person plural possessor singular plural nominative Nuukinne — accusative nom. Nuukinne — gen. Nuukinne genitive Nuukinne — partitive Nuukianne — inessive Nuukissanne — elative Nuukistanne — illative Nuukiinne — adessive Nuukillanne — ablative Nuukiltanne — allative Nuukillenne — essive Nuukinanne — translative Nuukiksenne — abessive Nuukittanne — instructive — — comitative — — third-person possessor singular plural nominative Nuukinsa — accusative nom. Nuukinsa — gen. Nuukinsa genitive Nuukinsa — partitive Nuukiaan Nuukiansa — inessive Nuukissaan Nuukissansa — elative Nuukistaan Nuukistansa — illative Nuukiinsa — adessive Nuukillaan Nuukillansa — ablative Nuukiltaan Nuukiltansa — allative Nuukilleen Nuukillensa — essive Nuukinaan Nuukinansa — translative Nuukikseen Nuukiksensa — abessive Nuukittaan Nuukittansa — instructive — — comitative — —

Anagrams

• kuun, nuku

French

Etymology

Borrowed from Danish Nuuk, from Greenlandic Nuuk.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /nuk/

Proper noun

Nuuk m

1. Nuuk (the capital city of Greenland)

Greenlandic

Alternative forms

• Nûk

Etymology

Capitalization of nuuk (“cape”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /nuːk/

Proper noun

Nuuk

1. Nuuk (the capital city of Greenland)

Declension

Declension of Nuuk

case	singular	plural
absolutive	Nuuk	—
ergative	Nuukup
allative	Nuummut	—
ablative	Nuummit	—
prolative	Nuukkut	—
locative	Nuummi	—
instrumental	Nuummik	—
equative	Nuuttut	—

Descendants

• Danish: Nuuk
• English: Nuuk
• French: Nuuk

Polish

Nuuk

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from Danish Nuuk.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈnuk/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -uk
• Syllabification: Nuuk

Proper noun

Nuuk m inan (indeclinable, related adjective nukijski)

1. Nuuk (the capital and largest city of Greenland)

Derived terms

nouns

• nukijczyk
• nukijka

Further reading

• “Nuuk”, in Polish dictionaries at PWN‎^[2] (in Polish)
• Nuuk in PWN's encyclopedia

Portuguese

Etymology

From Greenlandic Nuuk.

Proper noun

Nuuk ?

1. Nuuk (the capital city of Greenland)

   Synonym: Godthaab

Spanish

Etymology

From Greenlandic Nuuk.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /nuˈuk/ [nuˈuk]
• Rhymes: -uk
• Syllabification: Nu‧uk

Proper noun

Nuuk ?

1. Nuuk (the capital city of Greenland)
   • 2026 January 24, Lauren Kent, “Soldados daneses que lucharon junto a EE.UU. se sienten traicionados mientras Trump amenaza a Groenlandia y denigra a la OTAN”, in CNN en Español‎^[3], archived from the original on 26 January 2026:

     Mientras tanto, el ánimo en Nuuk y Copenhague sigue tenso mientras groenlandeses y daneses luchan con una nueva realidad en la que Estados Unidos se ha convertido en una amenaza.

     Meanwhile, the mood in Nuuk and Copenhagen is still tense as Greenlanders and Danes grapple with a new reality in which the United States has become a threat.