Danish (dansk) is a North Germanic language that evolved from Old Norse in the Scandinavian branch. It is spoken primarily in Denmark, and by Danish minorities in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany.
Today, Danish is spoken by approximately 6 million native speakers[1] and about 6.2 million total speakers worldwide. It is the official language of Denmark and one of the official languages of the European Union[2], with language standards maintained by the Dansk Sprognævn (Danish Language Council)[3].
The Danish alphabet has 29 letters – 5 basic vowels, 3 special letters (æ, ø, å), and 20 consonants. Danish pronunciation can be challenging due to its soft consonants and vowel system. The language also features unique grammatical structures.
Below is the breakdown of all letters and characters used in Danish.
The Danish alphabet has 5 basic vowel letters: a, e, i, o, u. Danish vowels have complex pronunciation rules and can vary significantly depending on context, making Danish pronunciation challenging.
Danish has 20 consonant letters. Danish consonants often have soft pronunciation, particularly d, g, and t in certain positions.
The soft d (blødt d) is particularly characteristic of Danish pronunciation.
Danish writing uses punctuation marks and symbols including period (.), comma (,), question mark (?), exclamation (!), apostrophe ('), and Danish quotation marks (» «). The Danish krone symbol (kr.) is also commonly used.
Danish punctuation follows Scandinavian conventions.
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