A few years ago, someone discovered a hard-to-pronounce but intriguing word from Scandinavia – and the world became obsessed with hygge. Since then, we Scandinavians in the UK have been listening to Brits trying to explain back to us what hygge is and how we’re supposed to do it. The idea has been commercialised to the point where you can buy blankets, underpants and fluffy socks, all labelled hygge. Well, it’s time to get a few things straight. It’s time to reclaim hygge. Let’s start with how you say the word.
It’s roughly pronounced WHO-guh. There are a few regional differences in pronunciation but it never ever rhymes with ‘jiggy’, however much headline writers may want it to, so ‘getting hygge with it’ isn’t an option – sorry. Oh, and it’s not an adjective. You can hygge with someone (or alone) but your candlelit room can never be hygge – only hyggelig or hyggeligt (that’s the adjective).