hygge

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Danish hygge, Norwegian Nynorsk hygge or Norwegian Bokmål hygge.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈhʊɡə/, /ˈhuːɡə/, /ˈhjuːɡə/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

Noun

hygge (uncountable)

1. (chiefly UK) A feeling of cosiness, comfort, contentment and conviviality. [from 21st c.]
   • 2016 November 22, Charlotte Higgins, “The hygge conspiracy”, in The Guardian‎^[1], archived from the original on 30 April 2018:

     According to this now vast popular literature, the creation of an atmosphere of hygge is aided by gløgg (mulled wine), meatballs and cardamom buns.

Translations

cosiness, conviviality

• Danish: hygge (da) c
• Dutch: gezelligheid (nl) f, hygge (nl) m or n
• Finnish: hygge (fi)
• French: hygge (fr) m
• German: Gemütlichkeit (de) f, Wohligkeit f
• Hungarian: meghittség (hu)
• Italian: accoglievolezza (it)
• Korean: 휘게 (hwige)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: hygge (no) m

• Polish: hygge (pl) n
• Russian: хю́гге (ru) n (xjúgge)
• Serbo-Croatian: udobnost (sh) f
• Swedish: gemyt (sv) c, trevnad (sv), mys (sv), hygge (sv)

Adjective

hygge (comparative more hygge, superlative most hygge)

1. (chiefly UK) Cosy, convivial. [from 21st c.]
   • 2015, Helen Russell, The Year of Living Danishly, Icon Books Ltd, →ISBN:

     ‘So, where are they all? What's everyone doing?’
     ‘They're getting hygge,’ she tells me, making a noise that sounds a little like she has something stuck in her throat.

   • 2025 May 12, Shahidha Bari, quoting Emma Jane Unsworth, “Slags by Emma Jane Unsworth review – a riotous roadtrip”, in The Guardian‎^[2], →ISSN, archived from the original on 25 July 2025:

     [Emma Jane] Unsworth describes how “late at night, after video calls with the East Coast of America, she often stayed on as a host, alone, in those abandoned Zoom rooms, her own face staring back at her, the glow of the ring-light as hygge as any wood-burning stove, sipping a glass of something moderately alcoholic, feeling a dystopian peace …”

Usage notes

• Chiefly used in Danish or Norwegian contexts.

Danish

Etymology

From Old Danish hyggiæ (“to think”), from Old Norse hyggja (“to think”), from Proto-Germanic *hugjaną (“to think, reconsider”). The modern meaning has been taken over from Norwegian in the 19th century.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /hykə/, [ˈhyɡ̊ə]

Noun

hygge c (singular definite hyggen, not used in plural form)

1. cosiness

Declension

Declension of hygge

common gender	singular
	indefinite	definite
nominative	hygge	hyggen
genitive	hygges	hyggens

Verb

hygge (imperative hyg, infinitive at hygge, present tense hygger, past tense hyggede, perfect tense hygget)

1. (intransitive) to have a good time
2. (intransitive) to make it comfortable, cozy (with the preposition om)
3. (reflexive) to have a good time, enjoy oneself

Conjugation

Conjugation of hygge

active passive present hygger hygges past hyggede hyggedes infinitive hygge hygges imperative hygg — participle present hyggende past hygget (auxiliary verb have) gerund hyggen

Derived terms

• familiehygge
• hjemmehygge
• hyggeaften
• hyggekrog
• hyggelig
• hyggelig fætter
• hyggemiddag
• hyggesnak
• hyggestemning
• hyggestund
• råhygge
• uhygge
• uhyggelig

References

• “hygge” in Den Danske Ordbog
• “hygge” in Ordbog over det danske Sprog
• https://www.kbh-sprogcenter.dk/da/blog/dansk-hygge/

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from Danish hygge.

Noun

hygge m or n (uncountable, no diminutive)

1. hygge

French

Etymology

Borrowed from Danish hygge.

Noun

hygge m (uncountable)

1. hygge

Norwegian Bokmål

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈhʏɡːə/
• Rhymes: -ʏɡːə
• Hyphenation: hyg‧ge

Etymology 1

Inherited from Old Norse hyggja (“thought, mind”), from Proto-Germanic *hugjǭ (“thought, mind”), related to hugr (“thought, mind”).

Compare Norwegian Nynorsk hygge, Danish hygge, and Icelandic hyggja.

Noun

hygge m or f (definite singular hyggen or hygga, indefinite plural hygger, definite plural hyggene)

1. cosiness, comfort, well-being; a warm, pleasant, relaxed mood or atmosphere
   • 1926, Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson, Samlede Digte I, page 1:

     den hjemlige hygge

     the domestic cosiness

   • 1907 [1868], Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson, “Fiskerjenten”, in Bjørnstjerne Bjørnsons fortællinger, page 380:

     værelsets rolige hygge

     the room's quiet cosiness

   • 1892, Henrik Ibsen, Bygmester Solness, page 130:

     huslig hygge

     domestic cosiness

   • 1918, Margrethe Munthe, “Den gamle og den nye dukken”, in Kom skal vi synge, page 82:

     det var ingen hygge i den [dukken] jeg hadde fått

     there was no joy in the [doll] I had received

   • 1923, Hans Aanrud, Fortællinger II, page 183:

     han befandt sig ikke vel, det var likesom ikke hygge med nogenting

     he did not feel well; it was as if there was no comfort in anything

   • 1907, Bernt Lie, Mot Overmagt, page 243:

     ingen [satt] paa trappehellen med hygge og morskap

     no one sat on the doorstep with comfort and amusement

   • 1909, Sigrid Undset, Fortællingen om Viga-Ljot og Vigdis, page 103:

     [Ljot svarte] de kunde gjerne ride i følge, siden den anden havde hygge af det

     [Ljot answered that] they could certainly ride together, since the other man took pleasure in it

   • 1877, Henrik Ibsen, Samfundets støtter, page 42:

     [vær] en hjælp og en hygge for Deres nærmeste

     [be] a help and a comfort to those closest to you

   • 2001, Brynjulv Raaen, Den som brenner får svi, page LBK:

     han ber meg om tjenester og jeg kommer til å be om gjentjenester og jeg setter pris på å ha ham i nærheten, det er en form for hygge og nytte

     he asks me for favours and I will ask for favours in return, and I appreciate having him nearby; it is a form of comfort and usefulness

Synonyms

• kos (“cosiness, comfort”)
• velvære (“well-being”)

Derived terms

• hjemmehygge
• hyggeaften
• hyggekveld
• hyggelig
• hyggestund
• uhygge
• uhyggelig

Etymology 2

Inherited from Old Norse hyggja (“to think”), from Proto-Germanic *hugjaną (“to think, consider”), related to *hugiz (“mind, thought, sense”).

Compare Norwegian Nynorsk hygge, Danish hygge, Icelandic hyggja, Faroese hyggja, and Swedish hygga.

Verb

hygge (imperative hygg, present tense hygger, simple past hygde or hygga or hygget, supine hygd or hygga or hygget, past participle hygd or hygga or hygget, present participle hyggende)

1. to make someone or something comfortable, pleasant, or cosy; to create hygge
   • 1884, Henrik Ibsen, Vildanden, page 77:

     [De har] ingen verdens ting, som kan hygge Dem og kvikke Dem op

     [You have] nothing at all that can comfort you and cheer you up

   • 1884, Henrik Ibsen, Vildanden, page 136:

     [din kone] hygger og steller for dig

     [your wife] makes things comfortable and takes care of you

2. (reflexive) to enjoy oneself, have a good time, get cosy; used with seg

   Synonym: kose seg

   • 1882, Henrik Ibsen, En folkefiende, page 19:

     han har ikke noget hjem, hvor han kan hygge sig

     he has no home where he can enjoy himself

   • 1918, Gabriel Scott, Kilden, page 138:

     han lægger sig til to tre dage paa holmen, han bygger ildsted og koker derute og gaar og hygger sig med sig selv

     he stays for two or three days on the islet, builds a fireplace and cooks out there, and goes about enjoying himself on his own

   • 1927, Sigurd Hoel, Syndere i sommersol, page 124:

     naar jeg hygger mig, er jeg altid stille

     when I am enjoying myself, I am always quiet

   • 1930, Arbeiderbladet, number 157, page 1/6:

     hygge sig i kameratslig samvær

     to enjoy oneself in friendly company

   • 2003, Kirsti Blom, Kitten, page LBK:

     hygge seg med en roman

     to enjoy oneself with a novel

Usage notes

• In the cultural sense of cosiness and well-being, the word is used in both Norwegian and Danish. The Danish cultural keyword developed from Norwegian usage during the 19th century.

See also

• hug (“mind, thought”)
• hyggelig (“pleasant, cosy”)
• kose seg (“to enjoy oneself”)

References

• “hygge” in The Bokmål Dictionary.
• “hygge” in Det Norske Akademis ordbok (NAOB).
• “hygge” in Store norske leksikon

Norwegian Nynorsk

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /²hʏɡ.ɡɑ/

Etymology 1

From Old Norse hyggja f.

Alternative forms

• hyggje (j-infix)

Noun

hygge f (definite singular hygga, indefinite plural hygger, definite plural hyggene)

1. comfort, contentment

Noun

hygge n (definite singular hygget, indefinite plural hygge, definite plural hygga)

1. an afterthought, consideration, attention

Etymology 2

From Old Norse verb hyggja.

Verb

hygge (present tense hygger, past tense hygde, supine hygd or hygt, past participle hygd, present participle hyggande, imperative hygg)

1. alternative form of hyggja
2. alternative form of hyggje
3. alternative form of hygga

References

• “hygge” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Swedish

Etymology

Borrowed from Danish hygge

Noun

hygge n

1. hygge

Declension

Declension of hygge

		nominative	genitive
singular	indefinite	hygge	hygges
	definite	hygget	hyggets
plural	indefinite	hyggen	hyggens
	definite	hyggena	hyggenas