The Norwegian alphabet and its sounds
Meet the letters, hear their names, and practise spelling your name.
12 minutes · A free lesson from First steps: alphabet and everyday basics · Roman and Urdu pronunciation guides and English meanings are shown under each phrase
Welcome! No previous Norwegian is needed. Start with five letters at a time. Listen, repeat, then cover the pronunciation guide and try again.
Alphabet — letter names
Norwegian has 29 letters: the 26 you know, then æ, ø and å at the end of the alphabet. Letter names help you spell; inside words the sounds can change. o often sounds like 'oo' and å like the 'aw' in 'saw'. For u, say 'oo' and push your lips forward; for y, say 'ee' with rounded lips. kj is a soft hiss close to 'sh', and sj and skj are 'sh'. In hv and hj the h is silent, and jeg (I) sounds like 'yai'. Listen and copy the sound before you read the guide.
| æ | Say ae (open) | اَے | |
| ø | Say oe (rounded lips) | اوے (ہونٹ گول) | |
| å | Say aw | او | |
| o | Say oo (often) | اُو | |
| u | Say oo (lips pushed forward) | اُو (ہونٹ آگے) | |
| y | Say ue (rounded lips) | ایُ (ہونٹ گول) | |
| kj | Say sh (soft) | ش (نرم آواز) | |
| sj | Say sh | ش | |
| skj | Say sh | ش | |
| hv | Say v (the h is silent) | و (ہ خاموش) | |
| hj | Say y (the h is silent) | ی (ہ خاموش) | |
| jeg | Say yai | یائی | Means: I |
Say it out loud (30 seconds): Say the letters in your first name, slowly. Repeat them once without looking at the guide.
Quick check: What is the best way to learn a new sound?
- Only read its spelling
- Listen, repeat and compare with the audio
- Skip every unfamiliar letter
Show the answer
B: Listen, repeat and compare with the audio — Use the reading guide to get started, then copy the sound you hear.
Lesson quiz
Check what you have learned. Choose an answer to see whether it is right, and why.
Quick check: What do the Roman and Urdu “Say:” lines give you?
- The meaning of the word
- A spelling rule to learn
- An approximate guide to the sound
Show the answer
C: An approximate guide to the sound — They are reading aids for the sound. The English “Means:” line is the one that gives the meaning.
Quick check: What should you do when a letter sounds different inside a word from its name?
- Always say the letter's name
- Copy the sound you hear in the audio
- Leave the word out
Show the answer
B: Copy the sound you hear in the audio — Letter names are for spelling. Inside a word, listen and copy the sound.
Quick check: Which line tells you what a word means?
- The English line, “Means:”
- The Roman line, “Say:”
- The Urdu line, “Say:”
Show the answer
A: The English line, “Means:” — The two “Say:” lines help with the sound. The “Means:” line gives the English meaning.