Norwegian writing is dense with abbreviations — far more than a textbook lets on. A single news paragraph or a routine email can carry f.eks., bl.a., osv. and mvh without a second thought, and signage leans on kl., nr. and kr everywhere. Reading them fluently is a real literacy skill, and writing them correctly is mostly a matter of getting the periods and spaces right. This page is the practical reference. (For the comma and full-stop rules themselves, see punctuation.)
The everyday text abbreviations
These four are the ones you will read and write most. Learn them as fixed strings, periods and all:
| Abbreviation | Full form | English |
|---|---|---|
| f.eks. | for eksempel | for example (e.g.) |
| bl.a. | blant annet | among other things |
| osv. | og så videre | and so on (etc.) |
| dvs. | det vil si | that is (i.e.) |
Ta med noe varmt, f.eks. en ullgenser.
Bring something warm, e.g. a wool sweater.
Vi selger frukt, bl.a. epler, pærer og plommer.
We sell fruit, among other things apples, pears and plums.
Du må handle melk, brød, smør osv.
You need to buy milk, bread, butter and so on.
Møtet er flyttet til fredag, dvs. om tre dager.
The meeting is moved to Friday, that is, in three days.
Notice the period placement. f.eks. and bl.a. abbreviate two words, so they get a period after each part: f.eks., bl.a., dvs. (three words: det-vil-si, but written with a period only after the cluster — the standard form is dvs.). osv. takes a single period at the very end. There are no spaces inside these — write f.eks., never f. eks. with a gap.
More written-register abbreviations
These belong to (formal) and (academic) writing — reports, contracts, articles, instructions. You will read them constantly but should reach for them mainly in writing, not casual speech:
| Abbreviation | Full form | English |
|---|---|---|
| ca. | cirka | approximately |
| jf. | jamfør | compare (cf.) |
| pga. | på grunn av | because of |
| mht. | med hensyn til | with regard to |
| iht. | i henhold til | in accordance with |
| m.m. | med mer | and more |
| o.l. | og lignende | and the like |
Turen tar ca. to timer til fots.
The trip takes approximately two hours on foot.
Arrangementet er avlyst pga. dårlig vær.
The event is cancelled because of bad weather.
Søknaden behandles iht. gjeldende regler.
The application is processed in accordance with current rules.
Vi tilbyr kurs, foredrag o.l. for bedrifter.
We offer courses, lectures and the like for businesses.
Some of these compress a whole phrase into a tight string of single-letter-plus-period: pga. (på-grunn-av), mht. (med-hensyn-til), iht. (i-henhold-til). The period sits at the very end of the cluster, not between every letter. m.m. and o.l. keep a period after each part because each letter stands for a separate word.
Time, number and currency: kl., nr., kr
A handful of abbreviations attach to numbers. Getting their periods and spacing right is what makes your writing look native:
Toget går kl. 14.30 fra spor 3.
The train leaves at 2:30 p.m. from platform 3.
Se oppgave nr. 5 på side 12.
See exercise no. 5 on page 12.
Det koster 250 kr per natt.
It costs 250 kroner per night.
- kl. = klokka ("o'clock"), with a period, followed by the time: kl. 14, kl. 9.15. Note Norwegian writes the time with a period or colon (14.30 / 14:30), not a colon-only English style, and uses the 24-hour clock by default.
- nr. = nummer ("number"), with a period: nr. 5, hus nr. 12.
- kr = kroner — and this one takes no period. It is a unit symbol, and it goes after the number with a space: 250 kr, kr 250 (the kr-first order is common on price tags and invoices). Never kr. with a period in modern usage, and never 250kr jammed together.
Units take no period
Following the international system, units of measurement are symbols, not abbreviations, so they carry no period and stay unchanged in the plural:
| Symbol | Full word | Note |
|---|---|---|
| kg | kilogram | no period, space before: 5 kg |
| km | kilometer | 2 km, not 2 km. |
| cm / mm | centimeter / millimeter | no period |
| l / dl | liter / desiliter | 2 dl melk |
| kr | kroner | after the number: 99 kr |
Oppskriften krever 2 dl melk og 200 g mel.
The recipe needs 2 dl of milk and 200 g of flour.
Det er bare 5 km igjen til toppen.
It's only 5 km left to the summit.
Email and letter sign-offs: mvh
The single most useful abbreviation in modern correspondence is mvh — med vennlig hilsen, "kind regards / best wishes". It closes emails, letters and messages:
Takk for hjelpen. Mvh Ola.
Thanks for the help. Best regards, Ola.
Mvh,\nKari Berg
Kind regards,\nKari Berg
A few conventions:
- It is written mvh (lowercase) or Mvh (capital M when it opens the sign-off line) — both are accepted; capital is slightly more formal.
- It usually takes no internal periods in everyday use; you may also see the full Med vennlig hilsen spelled out in (formal) business letters.
- For something warmer, Hilsen ("regards") or Klem ("hug", (informal), between friends) replace it — Hilsen Ola, Klem fra mamma.
Vi sees i morgen! Hilsen Per.
See you tomorrow! Regards, Per.
Common Mistakes
❌ Ta med varme klær, e.g. en lue.
Incorrect — English abbreviation in Norwegian text.
✅ Ta med varme klær, f.eks. en lue.
Bring warm clothes, e.g. a hat.
Use the Norwegian f.eks., never English e.g. The same goes for etc. → osv. and i.e. → dvs.
❌ Vi selger epler, pærer etc.
Incorrect — English 'etc.' instead of osv.
✅ Vi selger epler, pærer osv.
We sell apples, pears and so on.
osv. (og så videre) is the Norwegian "etc." Reaching for etc. is the most frequent transfer slip in this whole area.
❌ Møtet starter kl 14.
Incorrect — missing the period after kl.
✅ Møtet starter kl. 14.
The meeting starts at 2 p.m.
kl. is a word-abbreviation and takes a period: kl. 14. (Contrast the unit kr, which takes none.)
❌ Det koster 99 kr.
Incorrect — period added to a currency symbol.
✅ Det koster 99 kr.
It costs 99 kroner.
kr is a unit symbol: no period, a space before it, after the number. Writing kr. (with a dot) or 99kr (no space) both look wrong.
❌ Turen er på ca 5km.
Incorrect — ca. missing its period and km jammed to the number.
✅ Turen er på ca. 5 km.
The trip is approximately 5 km.
Two faults at once: ca. needs its period (it's a word-abbreviation), and the unit km needs a space and no period: 5 km.
Key Takeaways
- Learn the everyday four as fixed strings: f.eks. (e.g.), bl.a. (among other things), osv. (etc.), dvs. (i.e.) — each with its periods, no internal spaces.
- Word-abbreviations take periods (kl., nr., ca., pga., iht.); unit symbols take none (kg, km, cm, l, kr) and sit after the number with a space.
- kr is a unit: 99 kr, no dot, never jammed to the number.
- mvh = med vennlig hilsen, the standard email/letter sign-off; Hilsen and Klem (informal) are warmer alternatives.
- Never import English etc. / e.g. / i.e. — Norwegian has its own forms and the English ones flag your text as a translation.
Now practice Norwegian
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Start learning Norwegian→Related Topics
- PunctuationA2 — Norwegian punctuation where it differs from English: the decimal comma (3,5), the comma before a fronted clause and between main clauses, the guillemet quotation marks «...», and what is NOT capitalised — mandag, mars, norsk.
- Hundreds, Thousands, MillionsA2 — Large numbers in Norwegian — hundre, tusen, million, and the false-friend milliard (= English 'billion'); how complex numbers are built solid as one word with og before the last element (tohundreogtjueén), and the space-not-comma thousands separator (1 000 000).