Kanten på vasen är för tjock.

Kanten is the definite singular form of en kant.

• en kant = an edge / a rim
• kanten = the edge / the rim

In Swedish, the definite article is usually added to the end of the noun as a suffix, instead of being a separate word like the in English.

So:

• en vas = a vase
• vasen = the vase

and

• en kant = an edge
• kanten = the edge

In Swedish, på is very commonly used in expressions like the edge of the vase, the lid of the jar, the roof of the house, especially when talking about a physical part of something.

So:

• kanten på vasen = the edge/rim of the vase
• literally something like the edge on the vase

This is a normal Swedish structure. English prefers of, but Swedish often uses på in these situations.

Similar examples:

• locket på burken = the lid of the jar
• taket på huset = the roof of the house
• dörren på bilen = the door of the car

Yes. Vasens kant is also correct.

There are two common ways to express this idea:

• kanten på vasen
• vasens kant

Both can mean the edge/rim of the vase.

A useful rule of thumb:

• kanten på vasen often sounds more natural in everyday speech
• vasens kant can sound a bit more compact, formal, or written

In many situations, either one works.

Because the sentence is talking about a specific vase, not just any vase.

• kanten på vasen = the edge of the vase
• kanten på en vas = the edge of a vase

So if the meaning is about one particular vase that is already known in the context, Swedish uses vasen.

In this sentence, kant most naturally refers to the rim or edge of the vase.

The basic meaning of kant is edge or border, but with an object like a vase, English would often prefer rim.

So depending on context, kanten på vasen could be understood as:

• the edge of the vase
• the rim of the vase

Both are reasonable.

Because the adjective agrees with kanten, and kant is an en-word.

After är, the adjective is in predicative position, but it still agrees in gender and number:

• kanten är tjock = the edge is thick
• glaset är tjockt = the glass is thick
• kanterna är tjocka = the edges are thick

So:

• common gender singular (en-word) → tjock
• neuter singular (ett-word) → tjockt
• plural → tjocka

Since kanten comes from en kant, tjock is correct.

Here, för means too in the sense of excessively.

So:

• tjock = thick
• för tjock = too thick

That is different from very thick:

• mycket tjock = very thick
• för tjock = too thick

So the sentence means that the rim/edge is thicker than it should be.

Yes. Är is the present tense of vara, which means to be.

So:

• är = is / are / am, depending on context

In this sentence:

• Kanten på vasen är för tjock.
• The rim of the vase is too thick.

Swedish verbs do not change according to the subject the way English verbs sometimes do. So är stays är whether the subject is singular or plural.

Because Swedish usually puts the definite article at the end of the noun.

Compare:

• English: the edge
• Swedish: kanten

That -en ending already means the.

So Swedish does not need a separate word before the noun here.

The dictionary forms are:

• en kant = edge, rim
• en vas = vase

Their common forms are:

• en kant / kanten / kanter / kanterna
• en vas / vasen / vaser / vaserna

This is helpful because Swedish learners need to recognize that kanten and vasen are not separate words in the dictionary; they come from kant and vas.

A rough pronunciation guide is: hyock or chyock, but there is no perfect English equivalent.

A few points:

• tj in tjock is a Swedish sound that many learners find tricky
• it is not pronounced like a hard English j
• o here is short
• the final ck sounds like k

You do not need perfect pronunciation immediately, but it helps to listen to native audio because tj is one of those sounds that is easier to copy than to describe.

Yes, that is possible in English, but it sounds less natural than The rim of the vase is too thick or The edge of the vase is too thick.

Likewise in Swedish:

• vasens kant is possible
• kanten på vasen often sounds more natural in everyday use

So the structure is similar: both languages can use a possessive-style form, but often prefer the of / på structure for physical parts.

You would usually add inte after är:

• Kanten på vasen är inte för tjock.
• The rim of the vase is not too thick.

Swedish word order here is:

• subject + verb + inte
  • rest

So:

• Kanten på vasen = subject
• är = verb
• inte = not
• för tjock = too thick

Here it is clearly physical thickness, because it refers to the rim/edge of a vase.

In general, tjock usually means physically thick, but it can also be used in some extended senses depending on context. In this sentence, though, there is no ambiguity: it means the material at the rim is too thick.