How To Talk About Animals In Swedish

Explore the great Swedish outdoors, and make sure you’ve got your animal vocab at the ready.
A forest elk standing in for animals in Swedish

If you’re visiting Sweden, visiting the major cities is a must. But just as important is venturing up north to explore the majesty of the Swedish wilderness. Up there you’ll see the beautiful landscapes of the country, and maybe even run into some of the wildlife. And what better way to prepare for that than to study the vocabulary for animals in Swedish?

We put together a guide to some of the most common animals in Swedish (and, sure, you might have to go to a Swedish zoo to encounter some of these creatures). You can click the play button next to each of the terms to hear how they’re pronounced by a native speaker. And if you just want to have some fun and hear what animal sounds in Swedish sound like, just scroll to the bottom!

General Animal Vocab

a pet — ett husdjur

farm animal — boskapsdjur

sea creature — havsdjur

a fur — en päls

a veterinarian — en veterinär

Names of Animals In Swedish

a dog — en hund

a cat — en katt

a fish — en fisk

a mouse — en mus

a hamster — en hamster

a rabbit — en kanin

a rat — en råtta

a guinea pig — ett marsvin

a chicken — en höna

a cow — en ko

a pig — en gris

a sheep — ett får

a goat — en get

a donkey — en åsna

a horse — en häst

an elephant — en elefant

a camel — en kamel

a bird — en fågel

a duck — en anka

a goose — en gås

a pigeon — en duva

a penguin — en pingvin

a parrot — en papegoja

an owl — en uggla

an eagle — en örn

a dolphin — en delfin

an octopus — en bläckfisk

a blue whale — en blåval

a jellyfish — en manet

a starfish — en sjöstjärna

a shark — en haj

a sea turtle — en havssköldpadda

a bear — en björn

a wolf — en varg

a crocodile — en krokodil

a snake — en orm

a kangaroo — en känguru

a frog — en groda

a squirrel — en ekorre

a giraffe — en giraff

a hippopotamus — en flodhäst

a sloth — en sengångare

a deer — ett rådjur

bug — ohyra

a fly — en fluga

a mosquito — en mygga

a spider — en spindel

an ant — en myra

a bee — ett bi

a butterfly — en fjäril

moth — mal

a cockroach — en kackerlacka

Animal Sounds In Swedish

woof — vov-vov

meow — mjau

quack quack — kvack

moo — mu

ribbit — koack

caw — krax

baa — 

cock-a-doodle-doo — kuckeliku

ee-aw (donkey noise) — skri

cluck cluck — ka ka ka

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