How to write an email or letter in Norwegian

The Norwegian correspondence style is short and straight to the point. While this approach may come across as rude, it is by no means the intention.

Norway ranks low in power distance ([1]), meaning that Norwegians strive for equal distribution of power and wealth. This is reflected in the language's informal style: in Norwegian, there are no special sets of rules when communicating with elders or superiors.

(Throughout the article, «Ola Nordmann» will be used as an example name )

How do you start an email or a letter in Norwegian

Most emails and letters start with a salutation followed by the recipient's name.

In Norwegian, titles such as «Herr.» (Sir) and «Fru.» (Madam) are rarely used. In the worst case they can be seen as sarcastic.

In the following examples, «Ola Nordmann» is the name of the recipient. The most common Norwegian greetings for emails and letters are:

• Hei
  (Hi)
• Hei, Ola
  (Hi, Ola)
• Kjære Ola Nordmann
  (Dear Ola Nordmann)
• Til den det måtte gjelde
  (To whom it might concern)

The proper punctuation for these greetings is as follows:

• The Norwegian greeting «Hei» ends with a comma if it is followed by a name, whereas «Kjære» does not.
• If «Hei» stands alone, it does not end with a comma.
• There is no period or comma after the name of the recipient.

Although Norwegians utilize an informal style, this has not always been the case. Nowadays, most Norwegians use the greeting «Hei» both in formal and in informal correspondences. The greeting «Kjære» can be seen as a little old-fashioned.

Some older Norwegians, particularly those over 50, may consider «Hei» too informal and still use «Kjære» when writing letters and emails.

The greeting «Kjære» is not completely out of fashion — it has its uses in invitations and when addressing groups of people.

• A teacher would write «Kjære foreldre» (Dear parents) instead of «Hei, foreldre» in an invitation to a parents meeting.
• A business would write «Kjære kunder» (Dear customers) instead of «Hei, kunder» in a letter to its customers.

Norwegian email/letter openings for formal correspondences

Norwegians prefer to keep correspondences effective and straight to the point. Formal emails are most often started with a simple «Hei», or «Kjære», followed by the recipient's full name.

Here are some Norwegian opening phrases used in formal emails:

• Viser til…
  (“Referring to… ” — Often used in job applications where you refer to the job advertisement, or when referring to past correspondence.)
• Takk for raskt svar.
  (Thank you for the quick reply.)
• Jeg fikk kontaktinformasjonen din fra…
  (I got your contact information from…)

Norwegian email/letter openings for informal correspondences

«Hei» works in casual correspondences as well, and the recipient's first name often follows. However, the variation «Heisann» (Hi there) is more friendly and less formal.

To add more energy to the greeting, end with an exclamation point.

"Hallo" is often used in speech but seldom in written form as a greeting. In writing, it is usually followed by a question mark and either means "are you there?" or as an adverse reaction when you are baffled by someone's action.

Here are some Norwegian opening phrases used in informal emails:

• Takk for sist!
  (“Thank you for the last time we corresponded/met. ” — Use this phrase when it has been a while since the previous correspondence or if you recently met the recipient in person.)
• Hvordan går det?
  (How are you?)
• Håper helgen har vært strålende!
  (Hope you had a great weekend!)

How to end an email or letter in Norwegian

The ending of a Norwegian email should be short but clear. Try to ensure all the necessary information is included to avoid unnecessary follow-up questions. Norwegians rarely use "P.S.", they try to include everything naturally in the text.

How do you end a formal email or letter in Norwegian?

To illustrate, we'll use «Ola Nordmann» as the name of the sender. Norwegian formal emails and letters usually end with either:

• Vennlig Hilsen (“Kind regards”)
  Ola Nordmann
• Med vennlig hilsen (“With kind regards”)
  Ola Nordman

Note that the name is always placed underneath the regards when ending formal emails and letters.

Some Norwegians shorten "Med vennlig hilsen” to "Mvh." However, this is primarily used in emails and almost never in official documents. Furthermore, some consider the abbreviation "Mvh." to be rude and lazy, so beware.

If you want to use "Mvh.", remember the period after the h.

Here are some Norwegian ending phrases used in formal emails:

• Om du lurer på noe, ikke nøl med å ta kontakt.
  (If you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact us.)
• Ha en fortsatt fin dag.
  (Keep having a nice day)
• Takk på forhånd.
  (Thank you in advance.)
• Ser fram til å høre fra deg.
  (Looking forward to hearing from you.)

How do you end a casual email/letter in Norwegian?

If the letter or email is not to a close friend or family, it is perfectly fine to use the formal phrases mentioned above.

• Vennlig Hilsen (“Kind regards”)
• Med vennlig hilsen (“With kind regards”)

A less formal alternative uses only "Hilsen", followed by the first name. This phrase can also be written on a single line and does not include a comma.

• Hilsen Ola

Here are some Norwegian ending phrases used in informal emails and letters:

• Kos deg masse! / Kos dere masse!
  (“Have a nice time!” / “Have a nice time!” — when addressing more than one person.)
• Snakkes.
  (We'll talk later)
• Sees. / Sees snart.
  (See you. / See you soon.)
• Klem! / Klem fra Ola!
  (“Hug!” / “Hug from Ola!” —These are often used between people who are close friends or family. However, Norwegian men are generally not of the intimate kind. Most would not write "Klem" to each other.)
• God helg! / God helg når den tid kommer!
  (Have a lovely weekend! / Have a lovely weekend when it arrives!)

Other useful Norwegian email phrases

Here are some of the most common Norwegian phrases used in emails.

• Takker
  (The less formal version of thanks)
• Den er grei.
  (“That's OK.” —Used to show that the email was understood.)
• Ikke noe problem, det fikser vi.
  (No problem, we'll fix it.)
• Kan du bekrefte at du har mottatt vedlegget?
  (Can you confirm that you've received the attachment?)
• Se vedlegg.
  (See attachment.)
• Det skulle bare mangle.
  (It's the least I can do)
• Bare hyggelig!
  (You're welcome!)

Things to be avoid in Norwegian emails and letters

Bragging

Norwegians are said to follow a set of rules, or social norms, called Janteloven, where the first rule is:

"You are not to think you are anything special."

These social norms are deeply ingrained in Norwegian culture, and Norwegians try to stay humble and grateful. Bragging about yourself is heavily frowned upon.

Excessive use of Emojis

A smiley can be highly effective in creating a relaxed and positive tone of voice in an email. While it is becoming more common in Norwegian email correspondence, some still see it as unprofessional.

Consider your audience, and do not overdo it. One emoji per email is enough, and stick to the classic smiley ":)".

Also, some email clients do not support smileys and show a ‘J’ instead.

Specific types of Norwegian letters

Most Norwegian greetings and thank you cards still employ a formal style. And while we live in the digital age, physical cards are still preferred.

A card or letter written on behalf of a family is commonly ended with the names of the family members, often starting with the children.

Some families with young children skip the names of the parents altogether. This is often the case when giving gifts and can become a bit confusing on Christmas Eve.

How to write a postcard in Norwegian

Most countries enjoy a warmer climate than Norway. Therefore, one of the main reasons for traveling as a Norwegian is to experience that warm weather and brag about it.

There are no strict rules when it comes to writing postcards in Norwegian, but most start with a greeting and end by wishing the recipient well.

How to write a thank you card in Norwegian

Norwegian thank you cards usually consist of one short sentence written formally. Here are some examples:

• Tusen takk for den fine gaven og at dere var med på å gjøre dagen vår spesiell.
  (Thank you very much for the lovely gift and that you helped make our day special. ((Wedding thank you card.))
• Tusen takk for den fine gaven jeg fikk da jeg kom til verden.
  (Thank you very much for the lovely gift I got when I came into this world. (Baptism thank you card.))
• Tusen takk for den fine gaven jeg fikk i anledning min konfirmasjon
  (Thank you very much for the gift I received for my confirmation. (Confirmation thank you card.))
• Vi ønsker å takke for vennlig deltagelse og oppmerksomhet som bidro til en fin og fredfull begravelse.
  (We wish to thank you for your friendly participation and attention that contributed to a nice and peaceful funeral. (Funeral thank you card.))

How to write a birthday card in Norwegian

While other cards are usually formal in style, Norwegians like to get creative in their birthday greetings.

But first. here are some examples of classic birthday greetings:

• Gratulerer med dagen!
  (Happy birthday!)
• Hipp, hipp, hurra - Gratulerer med dagen!
  (Hip hip hooray - Happy birthday!)
• En varm og god bursdagsklem til deg!
  (A warm and pleasant birthday hug to you!)

Most Norwegians do not like the thought of getting older, and this is often joked about in birthday greetings. Here are some examples:

• Selv om jeg stadig blir eldre, kan jeg alltids trøste meg med at jeg fortsatt er yngre enn deg! Ha en flott bursdag.
  (Even though I still get older, I can always seek solace in the fact that I'm still younger than you! Have a lovely birthday.)
• Gratulerer med dagen! Smil mens du fortsatt har tenner!
  (Happy birthday! Smile while you still have your teeth!)
• Det tar lang tid å bli så ung som du er. Gratulerer med dagen!
  (It takes a long time to become as young as you are. Happy birthday!)
• Du er akkurat som god vin, blir bare bedre og bedre med årene.
  (You are like good wine, only gets better with age.)

What do you write in a Norwegian wedding card

Norwegian wedding cards are usually short and wish the newlyweds a good life filled with love and happiness. However, some like to spice them up with a fitting quote about love.

Here are a few examples:

• Ønsker dere et liv fylt med kjærlighet, vennskap og glede.
  (Wish you a life filled with love, friendship, and happiness.)
• De hjerteligste lykkeønskninger på bryllupsdagen.
  (Wishing you the best of luck on your wedding day.)
• Ønsker dere hell og lykke i all framtid.
  (Wishing you luck and good fortune for all time.)
• Bryllupsdagen vil komme og gå, men kjærligheten vil for evig bestå!
  (The wedding day will come and go, but love will forever remain!)

(related article: Norwegian terms of endearment and affection)

Norwegian email/letter examples

1) Example of a Norwegian formal email

The following is an example of a formal email written in Norwegian, for a job application. It follows the standard formatting style used in most official documents and job applications.

This style does not include a greeting and instead starts with a heading in bold lettering describing the letter's intention.

In this example email, Ola Nordmann is applying for a job as a store manager that he found on the webpage finn.no.

Translation:

2) Example of a Norwegian casual letter

The following is an example of a Norwegian postcard written to Ola by a family of four (Pia, Knut, Theodor, and Lisa)

Translation: Conclusion

Norwegians are pretty relaxed when it comes to syntax and formalities, especially when communicating with foreigners. Norway is a small country, and just the fact that someone has taken the time to learn Norwegian is seen as an impressive feat.

The most important thing is to be down to earth and friendly.

References:

1. [1] Source
2. [2] Source