Over 8000 readers and followers have sent in their favorite words to Språktidningen, which has chosen ten of them for a vote on the best word in Swedish.
"In different ways, these are words that say something about Swedish society, a mentality perceived as typically Swedish and about the relationship to nature, the seasons and the changes of the day", says Anders Svensson, editor-in-chief of Språktidningen in a press release.
For example, "lagom" and "fika" have qualified for the list. The fact that "lagom" is considered difficult to translate reinforces the feeling that it is typically Swedish.
From nature come words like "dagsmeja", "morgonrodnad", "förgätmigej" and "allemansrätt". But also "ju" has been chosen.
"It is associated with the fact that small words can have great significance - which in turn functions as a metaphor for the fact that smaller actions can have a major impact", says Svensson.
The vote is ongoing on Språktidningen's website until December 31.
Fact: Språktidningen's ten candidates
TT
1. allemansrätt
2. dagsmeja
3. fika
4. förgätmigej
5. förlåt
6. ju
7. kanske
8. lagom
9. morgonrodnad
10. tillsammans
