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Seven evocative Swedish winter words for snow

They say that the further north you get, the more words you need to describe snow. We've picked out our favourite seven words to talk about the cold weather in Swedish.

Published: 14 December 2017 06:59 CET

Seven evocative Swedish winter words for snow

Is this kramsnö or pudersnö? Photo: Pontus Charleville/Folio/imagebank.sweden.se

Kramsnö

Slightly wet snow with the perfect consistency for snowballs.

Pudersnö

Newly fallen powder snow.

Skare

A crust on the surface of packed snow formed when the top layer melts and then re-freezes.

Dagsmeja

Snow melting in the spring sunshine even though temperatures are still below zero.

READ ALSO: Read more articles and features about the Swedish language here

Snökanon

Literal translation snow cannon, known in English as lake-effect snow. A rapid deposit of snow caused when a cold air mass moves across warm lake water.

Slask

Slush. Partially melted snow.

Upplega

Technical term in forestry about heavy snow on tree branches.

WATCH: Every week we ask a Swede or foreigner about their favourite Swedish word. Watch The Local's Word of the Week series here.

Ten essential Sámi words that you might not have heard before

You might have heard that there are over 200 words for snow in Sámi languages, which is unsurprising, given the climate of the Sámi homeland in Northern Europe. But there’s a lot more to the languages than snow.

The Swedish Sámi parliament website says that “language is the bearer of cultural heritage and reflects our people’s common view of life and values. Language transfers knowledge about nature and the world.”

But Sámi language fluency has been declining rapidly for decades. Pite Sámi is critically endangered, with fewer than 50 living speakers, all in Sweden. Today, Northern Sámi is the most widely spoken.

Due to assimilation policies in all the countries the Sámi found themselves in, older generations of Sámi people were not allowed to speak their own language in school, meaning some languages have already been lost.

The Local spoke to speakers and researchers of the languages to find out some of the most unique and beautiful words still in use.

1. Sápmi

Sápmi is the Northern Sámi word for the traditional dwelling place of the Sámi people, which encompasses the northern parts of Scandinavia and the Kola peninsula of Russia. Since the 20th century, national borders and state policies have divided Sápmi and the people who call it home.

Location of Sápmi in Europe

A map of where Sápmi in northern Europe. Map: Wikipedia

Elle Rávdná Näkkäläjärvi is part of the Sámiskeveivisere, Sámi Pathfinders, a group of young Sámi people who visit high schools and teach students about Sámi culture. She says Sápmi itself is one of her favourite words.

“The word means a Sápmi without borders, it means relatives, sisters and brothers, and community,” she says.

2. Eadni

Eadni means ‘mother’ in Northern Sámi.

“It’s one of the first words that children learn,” says Berit Anne Bals Baal, a lecturer of linguistics at the National Centre for Sámi Language in Education at the Sámi University College, who chose it as her favourite word.

It has a complex phonology (sound system), and is similar to the Northern Sámi word for Earth, which is eanan.

3. Guohtun

Guohtun is a Northern Sámi word that describes the ideal conditions for reindeer to find lichen to graze under a covering of snow. But it’s more complicated than that. It’s one of those words that resists simple translation.

Lars Miguel Utsi, the Vice President of the Sámi parliament of Sweden, says, “Guohtun is a very complex word. It encompasses geography, plants, lichens, snow, and reindeer. It exemplifies the language and its connection to land and water.”

“It’s a very soothing word because it means that there is food and the reindeer can reach it,” he said.

4. Giitu

Giitu means ‘thank you’ in Northern Sámi.

Anyone who knows some Finnish might notice that it sounds quite similar to the Finnish word for ‘thank you’, kiitos. That’s because Sámi languages have more in common with Finnish than with Swedish, Danish or Norwegian, coming from the same language family: Finno-Uralic.

You can respond to giitu with leage buorre which means ‘you’re welcome.’

5. Čáiddas

This means snowball. We couldn’t have a list of Sámi words without having something specific to snow, could we?

6. Vuovdi

This means forest in Northern Sámi. Vast swathes of Sápmi is covered in forest. Sámi reindeer herders rely on old-growth forests to let their reindeer graze; they eat the kind of lichen that only grows in older forests.

‘Never have I seen so few old trees around’: What’s happening to Sweden’s forests?

7. Boazu

Reindeer husbandry is a vital part of Sámi life. Photo: Image Bank Sweden

In all Sámi languages, there are two different words for reindeer. In Northern Sámi there is goddi and boazu.

Boazu means a reindeer who has been tamed and can be milked. Goddi is the word for wilder reindeer.

Reindeer herding is an important aspect of Sámi culture and a vital source of income for many Sámi people. The Sámi parliament estimates that about 2,500 people are dependent on income from reindeer husbandry.

IN PICTURES: Amazing images of reindeer herding in northern Sweden

8. Bures

An easy one! This is how you say “hello” to another person in Northern Sámi.

9. Goahte

Goahte is a type of hut in Lule Sámi. It’s a traditional Sámi home that can be built in several different ways, depending on what material is available, like with wooden panels or a construction of wooden poles covered with peat or cloth.

10. Sámediggi

This is the Northern Sámi word for the Sámi Parliament. There’s a Sámi parliament in each country that divides Sápmi.

In the Scandinavian countries, it’s essentially a government agency with the aim of representing the Sámi people and increasing opportunities to participate in public debate.

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