Swedish dialectal words - readers' words from across Sweden

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Here is a long list of Swedish dialectal words. It's amazing how many entries we received - words, expressions and dialectal misunderstandings from all over Sweden. We offer dialectal words from north to south as well as two films and a sound recording.

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Swedish dialectal words - from readers

Some time ago we asked in a blog post for help in finding dialectal words and expressions, and we got a great response! We have received lots of contributions as comments on the blog post, as comments on Facebook, on email and on Messenger. We have even received audio files! Want to submit more? Feel free to do so and we'll add to the post as we go along!

It has not been easy to put this together, but we have done our best. And it's been great fun! We present dialectal words from north to south, under each region or city. Note that some words may only be used in one part of the region, some words are also used in several neighbouring areas, and some words may be archaic and therefore no longer used. For example, this is what one reader wrote regarding the words from Leksand:

Måcköl åv olan vi har finns ti are mål å. Båd utyvör o ovatä i landä. (Many of the words are found in other dialects too, both below and above in the country.) /Anonymous

Film and sound recording

We have recorded a film with some of the dialectal words we know ourselves, in Stockholm and Skåne. We have also received audio files with different dialects from the couple behind the blog. Magnolia Magis. Big THANK YOU for this! So much fun!

We've cut together and you can listen to examples of West Gothic, Värmland and even dialects from Kumla and Örebro. We're not used to publishing audio files without pictures, so it's a black box - but listen, listen! At the end of the post, we also offer a clip with Robert Gustafson, as he presents dialects by "travelling around" by a map. Don't miss it!

Norrland

Here we present words that are either generally used in Norrland, or where we do not know in which part of Norrland they are used. More Norrlandic words are presented under each province.

• Bängla - Fussing, fussing
• Doppa - Coffee bread
• Eljest - Different, deviant
• Defence - The day before yesterday
• Harta - halves
• Hood - How awful!
• Obra - Not good
• Coffee printing - Not drinking coffee
• Olympic Games - Unskilled, clumsy
• Originating from - Not having run yet
• Paltkoma - Significant satiety/drowsiness
• Pjöller - Prat
• Pumla - Christmas bauble
• Good practice - Cloudberry
• Ids int - Can't be bothered

I find that I very often use the letter O in front of many words. Undone, unsprung, unseen, etc. It's very convenient. And that we shorten words (listen to Ingemar Stenmark). Also very convenient. Stugsista is celebrated on the coast of Västerbotten and the coast of Österbotten on the last weekend in August... If you go a little further south in Norrland, it's called Lyskväll. What is it called in Götaland? /Birgitta

Thanks to: BP, Niklas A, Birgitta, British only

Norrbotten

• Otjorvigt - Single

Thanks to: Siv E

Västerbotten

• Disappeared - Done, finished with the task
• Home-brewed best place on jola - Home, the best place on earth
• Lagran - Kräsen, doesn't eat just anything
• Healing - leakage
• Nalta - Little (harta toe harta and harta toe dä = half of half and half of that)
• Nesdjäla - Lunchbox (pronounced with a thick L)
• Undone - Not done
• Oi - Unbuttoned (the button is oi)
• Sno - Turning
• Cabin list - Celebrating the last weekend of August
• Eating tobacco - Backwards or sideways

Thanks to: Åsa/Nalta Norrland, Birgitta, Gert N, Stig A, Jarl M

Jämtland

• Goat - Be forced to
• Huh/he - Standing, laying, placing
• Klavasutta - Mumps
• Omansam - Unpleasant etc. (difficult to translate)
• Pear - Potatoes
• The shadow sport - programme

I remember one time when my grandmother was down in Stockholm on a visit and we went shopping. She asked the staff where they had the "pear" (potato). They looked at her a bit strangely for a few seconds and exclaimed "Ah, you mean the pears! Here they are! /Therese

Thanks to: Therese, Ann-Sofie A

Ångermanland

• Ampen - Anxious
• Read - Doing something that takes a long time
• Disappeared - Avoided, finished
• Boa - The affair
• Brydges - Uncertain
• Beech - Grumpy
• Banned - Difficult
• Archery - Buckla
• Bay door - Gylf
• Darmä river - Fainting
• Hanging - retard
• milling machine - male cat
• growling - Coffee grounds
• Hard on hard - A quarter
• Hoven droven  - No scheme, gaps in noise
• To be remembered - Russian
• Härmelite - Regrettable
• Hä åvä - Setting aside
• Fine up in the yga - Beautiful
• Jeck bet - Failed
• jet - forced, must
• cheeks - Retas
• Karusha - rubber band
• Klater - hassle
• Clapboard snaps - A "thumb in the middle of the hand" in woodworking
• Kangero - spindle
• Way up in the sky - Surprised
• Live if - Väsnas
• Marnomt - Always something
• Needle - Poor
• Untouchable - Unpleasant
• Outerwear - Weary
• Oils - Carelessness
• Polemasa - Work slowly
• On the sly - Under the influence of alcohol
• Stamp - Mashed potatoes
• instalment - Rubbish
• Raw road - Keep up with
• Sekasam - Slow
• Self-monitoring standards - Loose teeth
• Slobberworm - Waste bucket
• Suta meter - Scribblers
• There - Take it easy, wait
• Dry toe - Wipe off
• The worst - Gassy stomach
• Eating tobacco - Backwards

Thanks to: Lena - Good for the soul, Steve, Ewa H

Ostrobothnia (Finland)

• A dual code - One of those you know
• farm trousers - Jeans (old-fashioned word)
• Restraint bubble - Semla
• Graveyard - Cemetery
• High bed - Bunk bed
• Ids int - Can't be bothered
• Morning meal - breakfast
• Nog - Undoubtedly, for sure
• Crude - Confused, disorganised
• Semla - Fralla
• Vappen - Walpurgis Night
• Ämbar - bucket

At least earlier generations in Ostrobothnia talk about "farmabyxor" (jeans). Something I would never get around to saying, but my mum asked for just such trousers in a shop in Stockholm when I was quite small, and I thought it was so embarrassing that she couldn't speak understandable Swedish, haha /Marias memoarer

Thanks to: Maria's memoirs

Medelpad

• Goodbye - hello
• Hugaligen - How awful

Thanks to: Maggan and Ingemar

Hälsingland

• Tockeranan/Reranan - Those
• Now! - Now you will see!
• But now! - But now I believe!

Thanks to: Åsa

Dalarna: Leksand

• Fäjsä - The barn
• Jella -Elda
• Jönug - A little dry
• Karug - Very manly
• Cupola - spindle
• cure - Kor
• Coolers - Children
• Kölla - Girl
• Sexiness - Strange
• Tare - Looking for
• Tryja - Sweater
• Ökkö - What

Thanks to: BF

Dalarna: Borlänge

• Frogs - Frusen
• lunch box - Lunch box
• Möla - Ingesting food (gulping)
• Sulla - Spilla
• Sullgucku - Person playing
• Tare - "Look after their own needs first" (difficult to translate)

Thanks to: Across the board

Gästrikland: Gävle

• Turned out - Tired of waiting for someone

Thanks to: Across the board

Värmland

• Barefoot - Barefoot
• Dret to - Shit
• A toe tag is - One of those you know
• Feschlig - Feg
• Glint - Stop
• Gloating - Stirring
• The hay is?/The hay is noticeable? - How are you? How do you feel?
• I'm ready to talk to you! - I need to talk to you
• Joapelstamp - Mashed potatoes
• Recently - Only (will always pick up, i.e. will only pick up)
• Cup - An idiot
• Kääri - Male
• Trowel for glue scissors - Cerat to the mouth
• Pocka = Is forced to do something
• Interest rates - Diarrhoea
• Sinni - Arg

Thanks to: Elisabeth, Kenneth R, Inga-Maj W, China M

Värmland: Degerfors

• trough arches - Pedal bike

Thanks to: Gunnar J

Västmanland

• At the bottom! - Lord God! (approximately)

Thanks to: China M

Stockholm

Several of the Stockholm slang words are no longer used, but were very common a few decades ago.

• Barre - Apartment
• Leaf - Go
• Bomma - Borrowing
• Borre - Sup
• Arc - Lying
• Bängen - Policy
• Bängen trawls - Police in car
• Arrow (they are now fleeing) - Unknown ailment that goes away on its own (Roslagen)
• Half bend - Explorer (alcohol)
• Haru chips? - Do you have money?
• Jonne - Bicycle
• Macka - Sandwiches
• Nian - The face
• cardboard - Money
• Snake with sheath - Sausage with bread
• rods - Father
• Sula - Caste
• Take the bus - You're talking rubbish
• Tricks - Tramway
• Tubes - Underground railway
• Where - Stayed

Thanks to: Peter, Emma Sol as Sol, Eva M.

foolishness

• Trellis - Boring (to be pronounced with a capital L)

Thanks to: Marita R

In Närke, it's trääälit - with a thick l. (You have to roll your tongue in.) Närkiska really has to be heard to come into its own. /Marita R

Östergötland

• Gremlins and remedies - Things and things

Thanks to: Ingela T

Västergötland

Here we present words that are either generally used in Västergötland, or where we do not know in which part of Västergötland they are used. More Västergötland words follow, divided into different cities.

• Annevessare - Different
• Daramor and Darafar - Mother and father in the neighbouring house
• Daras - Daramor and darafar in one word (mother and father in the neighbouring house)
• Göralöser - Idle
• necks - halves
• Heel-to-heel - Hot dog with half mash, half fries (Tidaholm speciality)
• Ids not - Can't be bothered
• I value me - Occasionally (once in a while)
• Teress - Ready (Ready?)
• Kôvna - Fainting due to heat, heat stroke
• tapping - quirks
• oesophageal drip - Roof drip

A personal favourite expression that we still use in the family every once in a while is my grandfather's "do-nothing": if you have nothing to do, you are do-nothing, idle. It was his greatest fear, and has probably been passed on to me. /Eva/Living as Eva

Thanks to: Eva/Leva as Eva, Maria/Magnolia Magis, Birgitta S, Marianne G, Christina L.

Västergötland: Skaraborg

• Olle - Sweater
• Ryssta - Shaking a tablecloth/carpet

Thanks to: Maria/Magnolia Magis

Västergötland: Hjo

• Bôrna - Drinking, drinking
• Bå´thôve - Large head
• Da´li - Good
• Flô - Move
• Foot - Food
• Fârsk - Ridiculous, mischievous, stupid
• Getta sej - Disappear
• Glihy´ - Teasing, stingy, mean
• Coffin - Dumb
• Kö´rta vejs - Long road
• Le´tten - Large
• mud - Much; little
• Njoring - Curious
• New - Meaningless, bad, teasing
• O´less - Hard, tough
• O´snögg - Ugly
• Sar´ja - Tjata
• Se´rva sej - Buckle up
• Skiing - Funny, good, tasty, stylish
• Sky - Boring

Thanks to: Carin A

Västergötland: Ulricehamn

• Bôgda - The village
• Do not kneel - No nudging
• Seagull - A lot of
• Ôfsadrop - Roof drip
• potheads - Potatoes
• Put deck - Take a seat
• Twitter - Boring
• Don't step there because then you'll look - Do not press there or you will sink

Thanks to: Marita

Västergötland: Gothenburg

• Bala - Drinking
• Bamba - School meals
• Roast - Making noise
• Flared - Nice
• Are you good or not? - Are you crazy? Well done!
• External - Nonsense
• Making - Mula someone with snow (pronounced with a long island)
• Semi-special - Grilled with bread and mash
• Knô - Crowding
• Knôka - Stringing things together
• The - Well
• Fuse - Frequent spring fires in nature
• Popper - Gym shoes as they were worn in the past
• roll - Fralla
• Swallow - Stairwell
• swelling layer - Stairwell neighbour
• Tetig - Weird, strange
• Open - Want everything
• The duck - As well as

First of all, NEVER say Jötlaborg! No native Gothenburgers say that. It's usually Stockholmers who want to pretend! /Veiken

Thanks to: Veiken, Christina L, Eva JE, British only

Västergötland: Borås

• Enjoyable - Boring
• Southern - Disgusting

Thanks to: Ingrid B

Småland

• Evil - dirt
• Bicycles - The bicycle
• Danish = Bort (ta dän = remove)
• The first toss in mass - First Thursday in March (celebrated with cake)
• Hia you - Calm down
• Hie - Messy place
• How is the oil? - How is it made, how is it constructed?
• Krösamos - Lingonberry jam
• Lu - Boy
• Nycles - The key
• Råka - Find the way
• roses - Frusen
• Feta - Knitting (in the finger)
• Customs sample - Nonsense
• Sulle - Would (like "What would you do there" which means "What would you do there")
• Tvi vale - Something scary, disgusting
• Ushale - Something scary, disgusting
• Wakakaya - Capstan
• Turn to - Mess up
• Oh dear children in the choir! - Exclamation of astonishment/pity

In southern Småland (Växjö-Älmhult), where my grandfather comes from, it is almost a bit English in that they say "so it is" "so she does", "so I will" etc. at the end of sentences to confirm them. They also call the crow a "wagtail" because it cries when it rains and it's black. /Only British

Thanks to: Ann-Louise, Matts T, Only British

Halland

• Orca hole - Extra kilo

Thanks to: Gunilla U

Blekinge: Karlskrona

• Beech - jar
• Gaur - Walking
• Cabin - Sausage
• Nytite - Embarrassing
• potheads - Potatoes
• Feta - Knitting (in the finger)
• Speka - Tear up
• Spirel - Grey sparrow

Thanks to: Cecilia L, Eva S, Monika L

Skåne

• Abedånk - Tired/sleepy after eating
• Eel hat - Eel head
• Blannevann - Grog wood
• pile - High (for example, a pile of newspapers)
• Bull - Small French/French rolls
• Bubble within a bubble - Chocolate ball in a small French roll

The first time we went into an absolutely wonderful café, Anna's in Ljunghusen, we were like two question marks: "What do you want on your bun?" it said. Below that were listed cheese, ham, liver paste, meatballs. Really? When we eat buns we want cinnamon or vanilla buns? Then we learnt that "bulle" meant roll, bread etc. /Maria/Magnolia Magis

• Where her - Over there
• Fubbick - Unpleasant, stupid person
• Glatta - Halka
• Hialös - Restless, impatient
• Hossor - Socks
• Kamma daj - Pull yourself together
• Kubba - Jumping
• Ledegille - A search so extensive that it becomes 'a party'.
• Salary - Said (sourly) when wasting time on the wrong thing
• Maize fire - Majbrasa
• The key - The key
• Pjoddar - Birds
• Flat (walk on flat or on just the tiles) - Go barefoot
• Rolling burden - Wheelbarrow
• Rälig - Disgusting
• Pushing - skipping school
• instep - bucket
• Speaking out - Say to
• Triangles - triangles
• Tösabid - Girl

My mother had a habit of misplacing her keys and purse, and from time to time she would get nervously excited about not finding them when she needed them. She used an expression to describe how she would turn the house upside down to find the stuff: "ledegille" - a search that became so extensive that it was like a party. "I didn't find my purse, aaau... sicked ledegille I had!" - I did not find my purse, help what I had to look for it! /Åsa

Thanks to: Nils-Åke H, Solveig H, China M, Johan, British only, Åsa, Monica A, Helena

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