kjennskap

Kjennskap is a Norwegian noun that denotes familiarity or awareness. It can refer to acquaintance with a person, or to a subject or matter about which one has some level of understanding. In everyday use, kjennskap often implies a practical familiarity rather than deep expertise; it sits between mere awareness and solid kunnskap (knowledge).

Etymology: kjennskap is formed from kjenn- (stem of kjenne, to know) with the suffix -skap, meaning state or quality. It has cognates in other Nordic languages, such as Danish kendskab and Swedish kännedom, which share the sense of familiarity or acquaintance.

Usage: Common collocations include ha kjennskap til noe (to have knowledge/awareness of something), få kjennskap til (to gain awareness of), and kjennskap til en person (familiarity with a person). In formal or academic contexts, kunnskap is more typical when referring to theoretical or systematic understanding, whereas kjennskap emphasizes practical familiarity or initial exposure.

Notes: Kjennskap can also describe personal acquaintance—min kjennskap til ham (my knowledge/awareness of him). The term remains widely used in Norwegian both in speech and in writing, alongside related words such as kunnskap, erfaring (experience), and forståelse (understanding).