Janteloven: the Law of Jante explained

The Law of Jante, in Danish Janteloven, is ten rules that all say the same thing: do not think you are better than us. It comes from a 1933 novel, it was meant as criticism, and Danes still use the word every week. Here are the ten rules in Danish and English, how to say them, and what the law of Jante really means for your daily life and work in Denmark.

What is the Law of Jante?

The law of Jante is not a law. It is a name for an unwritten social rule: you should not stand out, show off or think you are special. In Danish it is Janteloven, in Norwegian also janteloven, and in Swedish jantelagen. The idea is the same in all three countries.

When a Dane says Det er Janteloven, they usually mean something negative: someone was told, directly or with a look, not to be so proud of themselves. When they say it with a smile, it can also mean that Danes do not like people who brag, and that is part of why Denmark feels equal and relaxed.

Where does Janteloven come from?

The Danish-Norwegian writer Aksel Sandemose wrote the ten rules in his novel En flyktning krysser sitt spor (A Fugitive Crosses His Tracks) from 1933. Sandemose was born in Denmark, in Nykøbing Mors, but lived in Norway and wrote the book in Norwegian. Jante is a made-up small town, and readers have always seen Nykøbing Mors in it.

In the book, the rules are a satire: they describe how a small town keeps everyone small. Sandemose did not invent the attitude; he gave it a name. That name stuck, so well that most Danes know the first rule by heart.

What are the 10 rules of Janteloven?

The rules are written like the Ten Commandments: Du skal ikke …, “You shall not …”. The wording varies a little from book to book; this is the Danish version you will meet most often. Tap a rule to hear it.

1. Du skal ikke tro, at du er noget.You shall not think that you are anything.
2. Du skal ikke tro, at du er lige så meget som os.You shall not think that you are as much as us.
3. Du skal ikke tro, at du er klogere end os.You shall not think that you are cleverer than us.
4. Du skal ikke bilde dig ind, at du er bedre end os.You shall not imagine that you are better than us.
5. Du skal ikke tro, at du ved mere end os.You shall not think that you know more than us.
6. Du skal ikke tro, at du er mere end os.You shall not think that you are more than us.
7. Du skal ikke tro, at du duer til noget.You shall not think that you are good for anything.
8. Du skal ikke le ad os.You shall not laugh at us.
9. Du skal ikke tro, at nogen bryder sig om dig.You shall not think that anyone cares about you.
10. Du skal ikke tro, at du kan lære os noget.You shall not think that you can teach us anything.

In the novel there is also an eleventh rule, a kind of threat: Tror du ikke, jeg ved noget om dig?, “Do you not think I know something about you?”

How do you pronounce Janteloven?

Janteloven is roughly “YAN-te-low-en”, with the stress on the first syllable.

• The Danish j is the English y: “yan”, not “jan”.
• loven means “the law”. The v after the o is soft and melts into the vowel, so it sounds close to “low-en”.
• The last e is short and weak, as in most Danish endings.

You will also hear Jante on its own, as in Der er meget Jante her, “there is a lot of Jante here”.

What does the law of Jante look like in daily life?

Nobody reads the ten rules out loud. You see Janteloven in small habits.

• Danes downplay. A big success is described as “not bad”. You hear Det går meget godt or Det var da ingenting, “it was nothing”, where an American might say “it was amazing”.
• Bragging is quiet. An expensive car, a title or a big salary is not something you mention at a dinner party. People talk about the holiday, the weather and the children.
• Praise is short. Godt gået, “well done”, is real praise. You will not always get more than that.
• Jokes about yourself are welcome. Laughing at your own mistakes, including your Danish, is a quick way to make Danes relax.

Janteloven at work

At work, the law of Jante mixes with something Danes are proud of: flat hierarchies. You call your manager by first name, you can disagree in a meeting, and the boss may clear the table after lunch. That part is good for newcomers.

The harder part is how you talk about yourself. In a job interview in Denmark, it is fine to say what you are good at, but say it with examples, not big words. Jeg er god til at samarbejde, “I am good at working with others”, followed by a real story, works better than “I am an outstanding leader”. And when a colleague praises your work, a simple Tak, det var godt at høre is the Danish answer.

What are the criticisms of Janteloven?

Danes argue about Janteloven all the time, and the criticisms are worth knowing, because you will hear them.

• It holds people back. If standing out is punished, people with big ideas leave, or keep quiet. This was Sandemose’s own point.
• It is used as an excuse. Some people blame Janteloven whenever someone does not like them, even when the problem was simply bad manners.
• It is less true today. Many young Danes say Janteloven belongs to small towns and older generations, and that social media has turned it upside down.
• It has a good side. Others say the same attitude is part of why Danes trust each other and why differences between people are small.

As a newcomer, you do not have to choose a side. Notice it, do not take a short answer personally, and keep talking about your work with examples instead of adjectives.

Questions people ask

Is the law of Jante a real law?

No. It is a set of ten rules from a novel, and a name for an attitude. Nobody can be punished for breaking it, except with a raised eyebrow.

Is Janteloven Danish or Norwegian?

Both. The writer was born in Denmark and Jante is usually read as a portrait of his Danish home town, but he wrote the book in Norwegian. Norwegians and Danes both use the word, and Swedes say jantelagen.

What is the English word for Janteloven?

There is no exact one. People compare it to “tall poppy syndrome” in Australia and the UK: cutting down people who stand out. In English, most people just say the Law of Jante.

What does “Du skal ikke tro, at du er noget” mean?

It means “You shall not think that you are anything”, the first and most famous rule. When Danes quote Janteloven, they usually quote only this line: Du skal ikke tro, at du er noget.