næla

Nåla is the Norwegian noun that refers to a needle, a small, slender instrument with a pointed tip used to pierce fabric, skin, or other materials. In everyday usage, the term covers sewing needles for textiles as well as needles used in medical or laboratory contexts. The word is closely related to the words for needle in other Scandinavian languages, reflecting a shared Germanic ancestry.

In standard Norwegian, the indefinite form is nål, and the definite singular is usually nålen in Bokmål and Bokmål-adapted varieties. Nåla appears as a dialectal, historical, or regional variation and is sometimes found in Nynorsk contexts or older texts as a definite singular form. Plural forms include nåler in the indefinite and nålene or analogous regional forms in the definite plural, depending on the variety of Norwegian.

Materials and types vary widely. Common sewing needles are made of steel or other metals and come in different lengths, thicknesses, and eye sizes. Medical or acupuncture needles are designed for precise insertion and are typically referred to by their specific medical names rather than general terms. Specialty needles, such as embroidery needles or injection needles, reflect use-specific designs and gauges.

Etymology traces the word back to Old Norse nál and related Proto-Germanic roots, with cognates in neighboring Scandinavian languages. The concept of a pointed instrument used to pierce remains central across languages and cultures, with needles playing a foundational role in sewing, medicine, and crafts.