Hygge meaning: what Danes really mean by it

Hygge means a warm, relaxed time together, where nobody is in a hurry and nothing has to be achieved. Coffee with a friend, candles on a dark afternoon, dinner that goes on for hours. For Danes, hygge is first of all a word they use every day, often as hyggeligt, nice, cosy, lovely. Here is what it means, how to say it, and how to use it in a real sentence.

What does hygge mean in Danish?

The closest English words are cosiness, comfort and a good time, but none of them is quite it. Hygge is a mood, and it is almost always about people. You can have hygge alone with a book and a blanket, but most of the time Danes mean being together in a relaxed way: no phones on the table, no big topics, good food, time.

That is why you hear the word everywhere, also in places that do not look cosy at all. A long meeting that went well can be hyggeligt. So can a walk in the rain with a friend. The candles and the knitted socks are the decoration; the being together is the hygge.

How to pronounce hygge

English sources often write it “hoo-gah”. That is close, but the first vowel is not “oo”. It is the Danish y: say “ee” as in “see”, keep your tongue still, and round your lips as if you were going to whistle. Then a g as in “go”, and a short, weak e at the end.

• hyggehygge, cosiness (noun)
• hyggeligcosy, nice (adjective)
• hyggeligt“hyg-lit”: cosy, nice, lovely
• at hygge sigto have a nice, relaxed time

Notice that in everyday speech hyggeligt shrinks to two syllables, “hyg-lit”. The g in the middle disappears, as it does in many Danish words. Tap the words and listen for it.

How Danes use hygge in real sentences

You will rarely hear a Dane say “let us do hygge”. They use the word to react, to thank and to invite. These sentences come from the conversations in the free course:

• Det lyder hyggeligt.That sounds nice.
• Hvor er her hyggeligt!How cosy it is here!
• Tusind tak for i dag. Det har været rigtig hyggeligt.Thank you so much for today. It has been really lovely.
• Tak for sidst! Det var så hyggeligt.Thanks for last time! It was so lovely.
• Den var hyggelig. Jeg slappede bare af.It (the weekend) was nice. I just relaxed.
• Mange mennesker tænder stearinlys og hygger sig inde.Many people light candles and have a cosy time indoors.

The third one is worth learning by heart. When you leave a dinner, a party or a visit, Danes expect a thank-you, and det har været rigtig hyggeligt is the polite, warm way to say it. The next time you meet, you say tak for sidst.

Words that go with hygge

Danish builds new words from hygge all the time. A few you will meet:

• en hyggekroga cosy corner, a nook
• julehyggeChristmas hygge
• fredagshyggeFriday evening on the sofa, often with the children and sweets
• hyggebuksercomfortable trousers you only wear at home

How to do hygge

There is no recipe, and Danes would laugh at a checklist. But if you want to invite someone to something that feels like hygge, these things help:

1. Invite few people. Hygge is easier with three or four than with twenty.
2. Make the light soft. Candles, stearinlys, are everywhere in Denmark from October to March, also on the table at work.
3. Serve something simple. Coffee and cake, soup, a pot of tea. Nobody should be busy in the kitchen all evening.
4. Take your time. No plan, no hurry, no competition in the conversation.

What people buy as hygge decor, like blankets, candles, wool socks and wooden bowls, is fine, but it is the frame, not the thing itself.

Questions people ask

Is hygge an English word?

It is a Danish word that English has borrowed, and you will find it in English dictionaries now. In English it often means a cosy lifestyle; in Danish it is simply an everyday word, as ordinary as “nice”.

What is the Norwegian version of hygge?

Norwegian has the word hygge too, but Norwegians more often say kos and koselig. In Swedish the word is mys and mysig.

Is hygge a noun or a verb?

Both. hygge is the noun, and at hygge sig is the verb: Vi hygger os, we are having a nice time. The adjective is hyggelig.

Is hygge only about winter?

No. A summer evening in the garden or a picnic by the sea can be just as hyggeligt. Winter is when Danes talk about it most, because the days are short and dark.