Íslenska
Icelandic
Germanic
Also known as: Icelandic, Íslenska
Icelandic has remained remarkably conservative — Icelanders can still read medieval Sagas (12-13th century) in the original. As a North Germanic language descending from Old Norse, it preserves the four-case noun system, three grammatical genders, and complex verb conjugation. Strong language purism encourages neologisms over loanwords (tölva 'computer' from tala+völva).
Where it is spoken
87 core words in Icelandic
Sources
Words compared
Compared with languages in the same classification: Germanic
| Meaning | Icelandic | Faroese | Old Norse | Swedish | Norwegian Nynorsk | Norwegian | Old Frisian |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | vatn /vahtn/ | vatn /vahtn/ | vatn /vɑtn/ | vatten /vatːɛn/ | vatn /vɑːtn/ | vann /vɑnː/ | wetir /wetir/ |
| Fire | eldur /ɛltʏɹ/ | eldur /ɛltʊɹ/ | eldr /eldr/ | eld /ɛld/ | eld /ɛld/ | ild /ilː/ | fiur /fjuːɾ/ |
| Sun | sól /souːl/ | sól /sɔuːl/ | sól /soːl/ | sol /suːl/ | sol /suːl/ | sol /suːl/ | sunne /sunːe/ |
| Moon | tungl /tʰuŋkl/ | máni /mɔaːnɪ/ | máni /mɑːni/ | måne /moːnɛ/ | måne /moːnə/ | måne /moːnə/ | mōna /moːnɑ/ |
| Star | stjarna /ˈstjadna/ | stjørna /ˈtʃœdna/ | stjarna /ˈstjarna/ | stjärna /ˈɧæːɳa/ | stjerne /ˈstjæːɳə/ | stjerne /ˈstjæːɳə/ | stera /ˈstɛra/ |
| Night | nótt /nouht/ | nátt /nɔtː/ | nótt /noːtː/ | natt /natː/ | natt /nɑtː/ | natt /nɑtː/ | nacht /naxt/ |
| Rain | rigning /ˈrɪknɪŋk/ | regn /rɛɡn/ | regn /rɛɣn/ | regn /rɛŋn/ | regn /rɛjn/ | regn /rɛjn/ | rein /rɛin/ |
| Snow | snjór /snjouːr/ | kavi /ˈkɛaːvɪ/ | snjór /snjoːr/ | snö /snøː/ | snø /snøː/ | snø /snøː/ | snē /sneː/ |
| Wind | vindur /ˈvɪntʏr/ | vindur /ˈvɪndʊr/ | vindr /vindr/ | vind /vɪnd/ | vind /vɪnː/ | vind /vɪnː/ | wind /wind/ |
| Earth | jörð /jœrð/ | jørð /jœɹd/ | jörð /jœrð/ | jord /juːrd/ | jord /juːr/ | jord /juːr/ | irthe /irθe/ |
| Stone | steinn /steitn̥/ | steinur /staiːnʊɹ/ | steinn /stɛinː/ | sten /steːn/ | stein /stæɪn/ | stein /stæɪn/ | stēn /steːn/ |
| Mountain | fjall /fjatl̥/ | fjall /fjatl/ | fjall /fjɑlː/ | berg /bærj/ | fjell /fjɛlː/ | fjell /fjɛlː/ | berch /berx/ |
| Sea | haf /haːv/ | hav /hɛaːv/ | haf /hav/ | hav /hɑːv/ | hav /hɑːʋ/ | hav /hɑːv/ | sē /seː/ |
| Mother | móðir /mouːðɪɹ/ | móðir /mɔuːɪɹ/ | móðir /moːðir/ | mamma /mamːa/ | mor /muːr/ | mor /muːr/ | moder /moːdeɾ/ |
| Father | faðir /faðɪɹ/ | faðir /fɛaːjɪɹ/ | faðir /fɑðir/ | pappa /papːa/ | far /fɑːr/ | far /fɑːr/ | feder /fedeɾ/ |
| Daughter | dóttir /ˈtouhtɪr/ | dóttir /ˈdœhtɪɹ/ | dóttir /doːttir/ | dotter /ˈdɔtːɛr/ | dotter /ˈdɔtːər/ | datter /ˈdatːər/ | dochter /ˈdoxteɾ/ |
| I | ég /jɛːɣ/ | eg /eː/ | ek /ek/ | jag /jɑːɡ/ | eg /eːɡ/ | jeg /jæɪ/ | ik /ik/ |
| You | þú /θuː/ | tú /tʉuː/ | þú /θuː/ | du /dʉː/ | du /dʉː/ | du /dʉː/ | thū /θuː/ |
| We | við /vɪːð/ | vit /viːt/ | vér /veːr/ | vi /viː/ | me /meː/ | vi /viː/ | wī /wiː/ |
| Name | nafn /napn̥/ | navn /naun/ | nafn /nafn/ | namn /namn/ | namn /nɑmn/ | navn /nɑʋn/ | nama /ˈnama/ |
| Person | manneskja /ˈmanːɛskja/ | menniskja /ˈmɛnːɪʃa/ | maðr /maðr/ | människa /ˈmɛnːɪɧa/ | menneske /ˈmɛnːəskə/ | menneske /ˈmɛnːəskə/ | — |
| Head | höfuð /ˈhœːvʏð/ | høvd /hœtː/ | hǫfuð /ˈhɔvuð/ | huvud /ˈhʉːvɵd/ | hovud /ˈhuːvʉ/ | hode /ˈhuːdə/ | hāved /ˈhaːved/ |
| Eye | auga /œyːɣa/ | eyga /ɛiːja/ | auga /ɑuɣɑ/ | öga /øːɡa/ | auga /æʉɡɑ/ | øye /øjə/ | āge /aːɣe/ |
| Ear | eyra /ˈeiːra/ | oyra /ɔiːra/ | eyra /øyra/ | öra /øːra/ | øyra /øːyra/ | øre /øːrə/ | are /ˈaːrə/ |
| Nose | nef /nɛːv/ | nøs /nøːs/ | nef /nɛv/ | näsa /ˈnɛːsa/ | nase /ˈnɑːsə/ | nese /ˈneːsə/ | nose /nozə/ |
| Mouth | munnur /ˈmʏnːʏr/ | munnur /ˈmʊnːʊɹ/ | munnr /munːr/ | mun /mɵn/ | munn /mʉnː/ | munn /mʉnː/ | mūth /muːθ/ |
| Tooth | tönn /tʰœnː/ | tonn /tɔnː/ | tǫnn /tɔnː/ | tand /tand/ | tann /tanː/ | tann /tɑnː/ | tōth /toːθ/ |
| Tongue | tunga /ˈtʰuŋka/ | tunga /ˈtʊŋɡa/ | tunga /ˈtuŋɡa/ | tunga /ˈtɵŋa/ | tunge /ˈtʉŋə/ | tunge /ˈtʊŋə/ | tunge /ˈtuŋɡe/ |
| Hand | hönd /hœnt/ | hond /hɔnt/ | hǫnd /hɔnd/ | hand /hand/ | hand /hɑnd/ | hånd /hɔnː/ | hond /hond/ |
| Foot | fótur /ˈfouːtʏr/ | fótur /ˈfɔuːtʊɹ/ | fótr /foːtr/ | fot /fuːt/ | fot /fuːt/ | fot /fuːt/ | fōt /foːt/ |
| Heart | hjarta /çaɹta/ | hjarta /jaɹta/ | hjarta /hjɑrtɑ/ | hjärta /ˈjæʈːa/ | hjarte /jɑːrtə/ | hjerte /ˈjæʈə/ | herte /heɾte/ |
| Bone | bein /peiːn/ | bein /baiːn/ | bein /bɛin/ | ben /beːn/ | bein /bæɪn/ | bein /bæɪn/ | bēn /beːn/ |
| Blood | blóð /plouð/ | blóð /bloːʊ/ | blóð /bloːð/ | blod /bluːd/ | blod /bluː/ | blod /bluː/ | blōd /bloːd/ |
| Poop | kúkur /kʰuːkʏr/ | kúkur /kʉːkʊr/ | drit /drit/ | bajs /bajs/ | bæsj /bæʃ/ | bæsj /bæʃ/ | — |
| Love | ást /auːst/ | kærleiki /kɛaːɹlaiːtʃɪ/ | ást /ɑːst/ | kärlek /ɕæːɭɛk/ | kjærleik /çæːrlɛik/ | kjærlighet /ˈçæːɭɪˌheːt/ | minne /minːe/ |
| Tree | tré /tʰrjɛː/ | træ /tɹɛaː/ | tré /treː/ | träd /trɛːd/ | tre /treː/ | tre /treː/ | bām /baːm/ |
| Dog | hundur /hʏntʏɹ/ | hundur /hʊntʊɹ/ | hundr /hundr/ | hund /hɵnd/ | hund /hʉnd/ | hund /hʉnː/ | hund /hund/ |
| Cat | köttur /kʰœhtʏɹ/ | ketta /tʃɛhta/ | kǫttr /kɔtːr/ | katt /katː/ | katt /kɑtː/ | katt /kɑtː/ | katte /katːe/ |
| Fish | fiskur /ˈfɪskʏr/ | fiskur /ˈfɪskʊɹ/ | fiskr /fiskr/ | fisk /fɪsk/ | fisk /fɪsk/ | fisk /fɪsk/ | fisk /fisk/ |
| Bird | fugl /fʏɣl̥/ | fuglur /ˈfuːlʊɹ/ | fugl /fuɡl/ | fågel /ˈfoːɡɛl/ | fugl /fʉːl/ | fugl /fʉːɡl/ | fugel /ˈfuɡəl/ |
| Butterfly | fiðrildi /ˈfɪðrɪltɪ/ | firvaldur /ˈfɪɹvaldʊɹ/ | fífrildi /fiːfrildi/ | fjäril /ˈfjæːrɪl/ | sommarfugl /ˈsɔmɑrfʉːl/ | sommerfugl /ˈsɔmərfʉːl/ | — |
| Egg | egg /ɛɡ/ | egg /ɛɡ/ | egg /ɛɡː/ | ägg /ɛɡː/ | egg /æɡ/ | egg /æɡ/ | ei /ɛi/ |
| Bear | björn /pjœrtn̥/ | bjørn /bjœɹn/ | bjǫrn /bjɔrn/ | björn /bjœːɳ/ | bjørn /bjœːɳ/ | bjørn /bjœːɳ/ | — |
| Horse | hestur /ˈhɛstʏr/ | hestur /ˈhɛstʊr/ | hestr /hestr/ | häst /hɛst/ | hest /hɛst/ | hest /hɛst/ | hors /hors/ |
| House | hús /huːs/ | hús /huːs/ | hús /huːs/ | hus /hʉːs/ | hus /huːs/ | hus /hʉːs/ | hūs /huːs/ |
| Milk | mjólk /mjoulk/ | mjólk /mjɔulk/ | mjólk /mjoːlk/ | mjölk /mjœlk/ | mjølk /mjœlk/ | melk /mɛlk/ | melok /ˈmelok/ |
| Honey | hunang /ˈhʏːnauŋk/ | hunangur /ˈhuːnaŋɡʊɹ/ | hunang /ˈhunɑŋɡ/ | honung /ˈhoːnɵŋ/ | honning /ˈhɔnːɪŋ/ | honning /ˈhɔnːɪŋ/ | hunich /ˈhunix/ |
| Salt | salt /salt/ | salt /salt/ | salt /salt/ | salt /salt/ | salt /sɑlt/ | salt /sɑlt/ | salt /salt/ |
| Wine | vín /viːn/ | vín /vʊin/ | vín /viːn/ | vin /viːn/ | vin /viːn/ | vin /viːn/ | wīn /wiːn/ |
| Rice | hrísgrjón /ˈr̥isɡrjouːn/ | rís /rʊis/ | — | ris /riːs/ | ris /riːs/ | ris /riːs/ | — |
| Chocolate | súkkulaði /ˈsuːkʰʏlaðɪ/ | sjokuláta /ˈʃoːʰkʊlɔɑːʰta/ | — | choklad /ɕʊˈklɑːd/ | sjokolade /ʃukuˈlɑːdə/ | sjokolade /ʃukuˈlɑːdə/ | — |
| Iron | járn /jaurtn/ | jarn /jaɳ/ | járn /jaːrn/ | järn /jæːɳ/ | jarn /jɑːɳ/ | jern /jæːɳ/ | īsern /ˈiːsern/ |
| Wheel | hjól /çouːl/ | hjól /tʃɔuːl/ | hjól /hjoːl/ | hjul /juːl/ | hjul /jʉːl/ | hjul /juːl/ | hwēl /hweːl/ |
| Silk | silki /ˈsɪlkɪ/ | silki /ˈsɪltʃɪ/ | silki /silki/ | silke /ˈsɪlkɛ/ | silke /ˈsɪlkə/ | silke /ˈsɪlkə/ | — |
| Book | bók /pouk/ | bók /pɔuːk/ | bók /boːk/ | bok /buːk/ | bok /buːk/ | bok /buːk/ | bōk /boːk/ |
| Eat | borða /pɔrða/ | eta /eːta/ | eta /etɑ/ | äta /ɛːta/ | eta /eːtɑ/ | spise /spiːsə/ | eta /etɑ/ |
| Drink | drekka /trɛhka/ | drekka /tɹɛhka/ | drekka /drekːɑ/ | dricka /drɪkːa/ | drikka /drɪkːɑ/ | drikke /drɪkːə/ | drinka /dɾinkɑ/ |
| Sleep | sofa /ˈsɔːva/ | sova /ˈsɔːva/ | sofa /ˈsova/ | sova /ˈsuːva/ | sova /ˈsuːva/ | sove /ˈsuːvə/ | slēpa /ˈsleːpa/ |
| One | einn /eitn/ | ein /ain/ | einn /ɛinː/ | en /eːn/ | ein /ɛɪn/ | en /eːn/ | ān /aːn/ |
| Two | tveir /tʰveir/ | tveir /tvaɪɹ/ | tveir /tveir/ | två /tvoː/ | to /tuː/ | to /tuː/ | twā /twaː/ |
| Three | þrír /θriːr/ | tríggir /ˈtɹʊdʒːɪɹ/ | þrír /θriːr/ | tre /treː/ | tre /treː/ | tre /treː/ | thrē /θreː/ |
| Four | fjórir /ˈfjouːrɪr/ | fýra /ˈfʊiɹa/ | fjórir /fjoːrir/ | fyra /ˈfyːra/ | fire /ˈfiːrə/ | fire /ˈfiːrə/ | fiuwer /ˈfiuwer/ |
| Five | fimm /fɪmː/ | fimm /fɪmː/ | fimm /fimː/ | fem /fɛmː/ | fem /fɛm/ | fem /fɛm/ | fīf /fiːf/ |
| Hundred | hundrað /ˈhʏntrað/ | hundrað /ˈhʊndɹa/ | hundrað /hundrɑð/ | hundra /ˈhɵndra/ | hundre /ˈhʉndrə/ | hundre /ˈhʉndrə/ | hundred /hundred/ |
| Hello | halló /halouː/ | hey /hɛi/ | heill /hɛilː/ | hej /hɛj/ | hei /hɛɪ/ | hei /hɛɪ/ | heil /heil/ |
| Thank you | takk /tʰahk/ | takk /tʰahk/ | þǫkk /θɔkː/ | tack /takː/ | takk /tɑkː/ | takk /tɑkː/ | thank /θank/ |
| Good | góður /kouːðʏr/ | góður /kɔuːʊɹ/ | góðr /ɡoːðr/ | bra /brɑː/ | god /ɡuːd/ | bra /brɑː/ | gōd /ɡoːd/ |
| New | nýr /niːr/ | nýggjur /ˈnʊdʒːʊɹ/ | nýr /nyːr/ | ny /nyː/ | ny /nyː/ | ny /nyː/ | nī /niː/ |
| Red | rauður /ˈrœyðʏr/ | reyður /ˈɹɛiːjʊɹ/ | rauðr /rɔuðr/ | röd /røːd/ | raud /rœʉd/ | rød /røː/ | rād /raːd/ |
| White | hvítur /kʰviːtʏr/ | hvítur /kvʊiːtʊɹ/ | hvítr /hwiːtr/ | vit /viːt/ | kvit /kviːt/ | hvit /ʋiːt/ | hwīt /hwiːt/ |
| Black | svartur /ˈsvartʏr/ | svartur /ˈsvaʂtʊɹ/ | svartr /svartr/ | svart /svart/ | svart /svɑrt/ | svart /svɑʈ/ | swart /swart/ |
| Green | grænn /kraitn̥/ | grønur /ˈɡrøːnʊr/ | grǿnn /ɡrøːnː/ | grön /ɡrøːn/ | grøn /ɡrøːn/ | grønn /ɡrœnː/ | grēne /ˈɡreːne/ |
| Blue | blár /plauːr̥/ | bláur /ˈblɔaːɹʊɹ/ | blár /blaːr/ | blå /bloː/ | blå /bloː/ | blå /bloː/ | — |
| Cuckoo | gaukur /ˈɡœyːkʏr/ | geykur /ˈtʃɛiːkʊr/ | gaukr /ˈɡɔukr̩/ | gök /jøːk/ | gauk /ɡæʉk/ | gjøk /jøːk/ | — |
| Woof | voff voff /vɔfː vɔfː/ | voff voff /vɔfː vɔfː/ | — | voff voff /vɔf vɔf/ | — | voff voff /vɔf vɔf/ | — |
| Cock-a-doodle-doo | gaggalagó /ˈɡaɡːalaˌɡouː/ | — | — | kuckeliku /ˌkɵkːəliˈkʉː/ | — | kykeliky /kykəliˈkyː/ | — |
| Computer | tölva /ˈtʰœlva/ | telda /ˈtʰɛlda/ | — | dator /ˈdɑːtɔr/ | datamaskin /ˈdɑːtamaˌʃiːn/ | datamaskin /ˈdɑːtamaˌʃiːn/ | — |
| Sushi | sushi /ˈsuːsɪ/ | sushi /ˈsuːʃi/ | skreið /ˈskreið/ | sushi /ˈsʉːɧi/ | sushi /ˈsʉːʃi/ | sushi /ˈsʉːʃi/ | — |
| Tea | te /tʰɛː/ | te /tʰeː/ | — | te /tʰeː/ | te /teː/ | te /tʰeː/ | — |
| Coffee | kaffi /ˈkʰafːɪ/ | kaffi /ˈkafːɪ/ | — | kaffe /ˈkafːɛ/ | kaffi /ˈkɑfːi/ | kaffe /ˈkɑfːə/ | — |
| Sugar | sykur /ˈsɪːkʏr/ | sukur /ˈsuːkʊɹ/ | — | socker /ˈsɔkːɛr/ | sukker /ˈsʊkːər/ | sukker /ˈsʊkːər/ | — |
| Orange | appelsína /ˈaʰpɛlˌsiːna/ | appilsin /aʰpɪlˈsiːn/ | — | apelsin /apɛlˈsiːn/ | appelsin /ɑpəlˈsiːn/ | appelsin /ɑpəlˈsiːn/ | — |
| Ninety-nine | níutíu og níu /ˈniːʏtʰiːʏ ɔɣ ˈniːʏ/ | níggju og níti /nʊdʒːʊ ɔ nʊitɪ/ | níu ok níu tigir /niːu ɔk niːu ˈtiɣir/ | nittionio /ˈnɪtːiuˌniːu/ | nittini /ˈnɪtːiˌniː/ | nittini /ˈnɪtːiˌniː/ | — |
| Dopamine | dópamín /ˈtouːpaˌmin/ | Dopamin /doːpaˈmiːn/ | — | dopamin /dɔpaˈmiːn/ | dopamin /dʉpaˈmiːn/ | dopamin /dʉpaˈmiːn/ | — |
| At sign | atmerki /ˈaːtmɛrcɪ/ | kurla /ˈkʰʊɭa/ | — | snabel-a /ˈsnɑːbɛlɑː/ | krøllalfa /ˈkrœlːɑlfɑ/ | krøllalfa /ˈkrœlːɑlfɑ/ | — |
| Internet laughter | híhí /ˈhiːhi/ | — | — | haha /haha/ | — | lol /lɔlː/ | — |
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