unge

Unge is a Danish noun meaning "a young person" or "youth." It can be used for individuals as well as collectively to refer to a group of young people, especially in informal speech or media. For example, en unge means "a young person" and de unge means "the youths." The word is commonly understood across Danish-speaking contexts, and a related form, ung, functions as the adjective meaning "young."

Etymology and cognates: Unge derives from Old Norse unga, itself linked to the Proto-Germanic root ungi- that referred to youth. The term has cognates in other Germanic languages, with Danish unge closely related to Norwegian and Icelandic equivalents in their historical development.

Contemporary usage: In modern Danish, unge is a everyday term frequently heard in casual conversation, journalism, and youth-oriented contexts. For more formal or institutional references to youth as a social category, the related word ungdom is often preferred. The distinction mirrors common patterns in several Scandinavian languages, where a general word for "young" exists alongside a more formal noun for "youth" or "the young."

See also: ungdom.