Lexin is a basic dictionary resource for people learning Norwegian. Work on the Norwegian-Ukrainian dictionary began at NAFO in 2022, and in Feb. 2026, the team presented the result of several years of work.
According to representatives of NAFO, the new version of the dictionary contains “over 8,000 entries, 1,827 idioms, 9,480 usage examples, 6,479 compound words, a keyboard with the Ukrainian alphabet, and much more.”
Minister of Education Kari Nessa Nordtun welcomed the launch of the dictionary. “For the first time, a high-quality, freely accessible Norwegian-Ukrainian dictionary is available here in Norway, and that was something many people have long been waiting for,” said Nordtun. “This is not only an important tool for learning and integration, but also a significant recognition of Ukrainians and their language in Norway.”
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Representatives of NAFO noted there has long been a need for such a resource because the organization has received numerous requests from teachers, librarians, and users studying Norwegian.
The Norwegian-Ukrainian dictionary was compiled by translators and editors Kateryna Yevseychyk, Olesia Cherkes, and Andriy Heliia, translators Marianna Hora, Khrystyna Hola, and Tetiana Tkachenko, and editor Lilia Hrube.
“These are the thousands of words we sometimes stayed up late at night discussing, words that sometimes came in our dreams,” said Yevseychyk. “These are thousands of words with which we sometimes drove our loved ones and family members crazy, trying to figure out when to say ‘solar panel’’ and when to say ‘solar battery,’ what the difference is between an oil rig and a drilling platform, and how to name the section of the bridge where it connects to the shore.”
The dictionaries were originally developed in Sweden for students from ethnic minority groups studying the language in primary and secondary school, as well as for adults studying a second language who have limited experience using dictionaries or other language resources.
Norwegian project Lexin was launched in 1996 under the auspices of the Ministry of Education, Science, and Church Affairs, based on Swedish dictionaries. The source language material was translated from Swedish into Norwegian, and translations into other languages were also reused. Currently, the Norwegian database contains approximately 36,000 words and has been translated into 19 languages.
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Image: Militarny
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