Animals

1. hund

   Dog

   Usage

   "Jeg er blevet bidt af en hund" — a dog bit me. Danish law requires dogs to be leashed in public

2. kat

   Cat

   Usage

   "Jeg er allergisk over for katte" — I'm allergic to cats. Worth asking before booking a private room. Swedish and Norwegian double the t: "katt"

3. fugl

   Bird

   Usage

   Birdwatching is "fuglekiggeri". The "sort sol" — black sun — starling murmurations over the Wadden Sea in spring and autumn are world-famous

4. fisk

   Fish

   Usage

   The same word for the animal and the food. Fishing requires a "fisketegn" permit, which you can buy online

5. hest

   Horse

   Usage

   Riding is "ridning". The Jutland horse, "jyske hest", is Denmark's traditional heavy farm breed

6. ko

   Cow

   Usage

   The plural is "køer". The day the cows are let out to pasture in spring is a public event, "køernes forårsfest", and families go to watch

7. gris

   Pig

   Usage

   Denmark famously has more pigs than people. Pork is "svinekød"; to avoid it, say "jeg spiser ikke svinekød"

8. får

   Sheep

   Usage

   Common on the Wadden Sea dikes and island pastures. The form is the same in singular and plural

9. høne

   Hen

   Usage

   Chicken as food is a different word, "kylling", and that is what menus use. "Høne" is the live bird

10. rensdyr

    Reindeer

    Usage

    Not a wild animal in Denmark itself — you see them in a zoo. Greenland, part of the Danish realm, does have wild herds, and its reindeer meat turns up in shops

    Grammar Note

    Neuter, et rensdyr. Norwegian says "rein" or "reinsdyr" and Swedish "ren"

11. ræv

    Fox

    Usage

    Found in suburbs around Copenhagen as well as in forests, and not to be touched — they carry tapeworm. Swedish writes "räv" and Norwegian "rev"

12. pindsvin

    Hedgehog

    Usage

    Snuffling through gardens on summer nights. Numbers are falling in Denmark and they are protected — and never offer one milk, which harms them

    Grammar Note

    Neuter, et pindsvin. Norwegian writes "pinnsvin" with a different consonant

13. egern

    Squirrel

    Usage

    The red squirrel with tufted ears, visible even in Copenhagen's parks. Swedish has "ekorre" and Norwegian "ekorn"

14. hare

    Hare

    Usage

    Common in fields and meadows. A rabbit is a different word, "kanin", and Denmark has wild ones too

15. rådyr

    Roe deer

    Usage

    The commonest wild deer in Denmark, often by fields and roads — watch for them when driving at night

16. krondyr

    Red deer

    Usage

    Denmark's largest wild animal. A big free-ranging herd lives in Jægersborg Dyrehave just outside Copenhagen, reachable by train. Keep your distance during the September–October rut, the "brunst"

17. ulv

    Wolf

    Usage

    Wolves returned to western Jutland in 2012 after two centuries away. There are very few and you will not see one, but they are a much-argued subject in Denmark

18. sæl

    Seal

    Usage

    Hauled out on the Wadden Sea sandbanks, and easy to see on boat trips from Rømø or Fanø

19. marsvin

    Harbour porpoise

    Usage

    The cetacean you are most likely to see in Danish waters, coming right into the straits and inlets. The same word also means a guinea pig, so context decides

20. hval

    Whale

    Usage

    Large whales rarely reach Danish waters, though orcas are occasionally spotted off Skagen at the tip of Jutland

21. måge

    Gull

    Usage

    They will take food off an outdoor table in any harbour town, so keep an eye on your plate. Norwegian writes "måke" and Swedish "mås"

22. svane

    Swan

    Usage

    Denmark's national bird, and the hero of Andersen's "Ugly Duckling" — culturally special here. Aggressive near a nest, so keep your distance

23. and

    Duck

    Usage

    Plural "ænder". Everywhere on park ponds — but do not feed them bread, which is bad for waterfowl

    Grammar Note

    Nothing to do with English "and" — Danish for "and" is "og"

24. krage

    Crow

    Usage

    The Danish one is the grey-and-black hooded crow. The big all-black bird is a "ravn", a raven. Norwegian writes "kråke" and Swedish "kråka"

25. skade

    Magpie

    Usage

    The black-and-white long-tailed bird you see in every Danish town, and the one folklore accuses of stealing shiny things

    Grammar Note

    Common gender, en skade. The same spelling also means damage or an injury, so context decides

26. ugle

    Owl

    Usage

    More often heard than seen at night. The commonest is the "natugle", tawny owl — a word also used for a night owl of a person

27. hugorm

    European adder (venomous)

    Usage

    Denmark's only venomous snake, marked by the zigzag stripe down its back and most common on the Jutland heaths and dunes. If bitten, keep still and call 112. The harmless "snog" is told apart by the yellow patches on its neck. Norwegian spells it "hoggorm"

28. frø

    Frog

    Usage

    They chorus in the marshes in spring. The same spelling also means a seed — the "frø" in a garden centre is not an amphibian

    Grammar Note

    Common gender "en frø" is the frog; neuter "et frø" is the seed. The gender tells them apart

29. myg

    Mosquito

    Usage

    Common around marshes and lakes in summer. Nothing like the swarms of northern Norway and Sweden, but "myggespray" is still worth packing. The form is the same in singular and plural

30. skovflåt

    Tick

    Usage

    The insect to take seriously in Denmark — ticks carry borreliosis, and tick-borne encephalitis has been recorded on Bornholm. Check yourself after walking through long grass and pull any tick straight out with a remover from a pharmacy. Often just called "flåt"

31. hveps

    Wasp

    Usage

    They arrive at outdoor tables in late summer. "Jeg er blevet stukket af en hveps" — a wasp stung me. Say so at once if you are allergic. Norwegian drops the h: "veps"

32. bi

    Bee

    Usage

    Distinguished from the aggressive "hveps". Honey is "honning", and the heather honey, "lynghonning", from the Jutland moors is a speciality

33. myre

    Ant

    Usage

    The forest mounds are "myretue", wood ant nests — step on one and you get sprayed with formic acid. Swedish has "myra"

34. edderkop

    Spider

    Usage

    No Danish spider is dangerous to people, including the big ones that wander indoors in autumn. Norwegian doubles the p: "edderkopp"

35. mus

    Mouse

    Usage

    The form is the same in singular and plural. If you find one, say "der er mus på værelset". The larger brown rat is a different word, "rotte"

Browse all TravelPhrases languages