välkommen

Välkommen is a Swedish word meaning "welcome." It functions as both an interjection and an adjective in phrases addressing someone arriving or being received hospitably. The term is formed from väl, meaning "well," and kommen, the past participle of komma ("to come"), so the literal sense is "well come" or "well received."

Usage is broad in Swedish. It appears as a standalone greeting, on signs and invitations, and in customer-facing contexts such as shops or websites. Common constructions include Välkommen! (as a greeting), Välkommen till [plats eller organisation] (welcome to ...), and Välkommen hem (welcome home). The phrase Du är välkommen can be used to invite someone to participate in something or, in a different nuance, to indicate that someone is welcome to do something.

Variants and cognates exist in related languages. Danish and Norwegian use velkommen, with the same meaning. In Finland Swedish, välkommen is used similarly, while the Finnish equivalent is tervetuloa. Pronunciation is typically approximated as vesibility "VEL-koh-men," with the Swedish vowels and consonant lengths characteristic of the language.

In cultural use, välkommen appears in signage, hospitality contexts, invitations, and digital interfaces to convey hospitality and openness. As a standard expression, it aligns with the English word "welcome" and serves as a simple, neutral greeting across Swedish-speaking communities and Scandinavian-influenced contexts.