Skjul

Skjul is a noun used in Norwegian and Danish to denote a hiding place, shelter, or concealment. It can refer to a physical location—a place to hide, a small shelter or hideout, or a structure used to stay out of sight. In rural and outdoor contexts, folk may refer to a hunter’s or camper’s shelter as a skjul. The term can also be used metaphorically to describe concealment of information or feelings, as in keeping something in skjul.

The related verb skjule means to hide, conceal, or obscure. Its present tense forms include skjuler, used for he/she hides or hides, while the past tense is often skjulte, and the past participle skjult means hidden. These forms are common in Norwegian; Danish uses similar verbs and forms with comparable meaning.

In usage, phrases such as “et skjul” (a hiding place) or “å holde noe i skjul” (to keep something in concealment) are common in both Norwegian and Danish. The word also appears in idiomatic expressions and can describe both literal shelters and figurative concealment, such as hiding away facts or emotions.

In Danish, skjul carries the same core meanings as in Norwegian, including the sense of a small structure used for storage or concealment, as well as the action of hiding. The term is encountered in everyday speech, rural discourse, and historical texts, reflecting its long-standing role in denoting places and acts of concealment.