| Part ofa series on |
| Conservatism in Sweden |
|---|
 |
Commentators |
Lagom (pronounced[ˈlɑ̂ːɡɔm]) is aSwedish word meaning'just the right amount' or'not too much, not too little'.
The word can be variously translated as'inmoderation','in balance','perfect-simple','just enough','ideal' and'suitable' (in matter of amounts). Whereas words likesufficient andaverage suggest some degree of abstinence, scarcity, or failure,lagom carries the connotation of appropriateness, although not necessarily perfection. The archetypical Swedishproverb "Lagom är bäst", literally'The right amount is best', is also translated as'Enough is as good as a feast',[1] or as'There is virtue in moderation'.[2]
The origin of the term is an archaicdative plural form oflag ('law'), in this case referring not necessarily to judicial law but common-sense law. Literally meaning'according to law', a more close translation would be'according to custom' or'according to common sense'.[3] The earliest attestations of the word are from 17th-century texts.[4]
A commonfalse etymology claims that it is a contraction oflaget om ('around the team'); according to this myth, the phrase was used inViking times to specify how muchmead one should drink from the horn as it was passed around in order for everyone to receive a fair share.[3]
Lagom is most often used as an adverb, as in the sentence "Han är lagom lång" (literally'He is just the right height').Lagom can also be used as an adjective: "Klänningen var lagom för henne" (literally'The dress was just right for her'), which would be equivalent to'The dress fits her'. The adjective form is neverinflected.
The value of "just enough" can be compared to the idiom "less is more", or contrasted to the value of "more is better". It is viewed favorably as asustainable alternative to thehoarding extremes ofconsumerism: "Why do I need more than two?Det är [It is]lagom"[5] It can also be viewed as repressive: "You're not supposed to be too good, or too rich".[6]
In a single word,lagom is said to describe the basis of the Swedish national psyche, one of consensus and equality. "My aunt used to hold out her closed fist and say, "How much can you get in this hand? It's much easier to get something inthis [open] hand".[7]
 | This sectionneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.(December 2019) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
The word "lagom" also exists inNorwegian, in bothBokmål andNynorsk. The connotations in Norwegian, however, are somewhat different from Swedish. In Norwegian the word has synonyms as'fitting, suitable, comfortable, nice, decent, well built/proportioned'. While some synonyms are somewhat similar in meaning (e.g.'suitable' and'reasonable','fitting' and'in balance'), many present in Swedish do not exist in Norwegian and vice versa. The Norwegian wordspasselig and the more commonpasse are very similar, translating roughly as'fitting, adequate, suitable' in English.Passe can be used in every context where the Swedishlagom is used, e.g.passe varm ('right temperature/adequately warm'),passe stor ('right size'), etc.
Finnish has the wordsopivasti, which carries similar connotations of'just right'.
The concept oflagom is similar to theRussian orUkrainian expressionnormal'no (нормально, literally'normally'), which indicates a sufficient and sustainable state, for example of one's livelihood. In Russian, the word is often used as an answer to the question "how are you?". Polishw sam raz means the same aslagom. Comparable terms are found in some south Slavic languages, for exampleSerbo-Croatianumereno orumjereno. InSlovakian, the expressiontak akurát is used.
Ιn ancient Greek, there was the famous phrase ofCleobulus,metron ariston (μέτρον ἄριστον), meaning'moderation [literally: measure] is best'.
InAlbanian, the wordtaman has the same meaning. It is derived fromOttoman Turkishtamam meaning'precisely', borrowed fromArabic where it means'complete, perfect'. In Albanian it is used in essentially the same way aslagom, as in "ataman amount", "not ataman person" ('not a normal person'),taman! ('agreed, OK'), etc. The wordtaman is also used in some Slavic languages (South Slavic) and almost perfectly translateslagom to those languages.
InChinese philosophy, the concept of中庸 (pinyin:zhōngyōng) expresses the similar concept.[8]
InThai, the wordพอเพียง (phor phiang) expresses a similar meaning.[9]
In Indonesia, bothIndonesian andJavanese, there is a common word for it,pas, which means'right amount (countable measurement), match, enough'.[10]
InSwiss German dialects, similar tolagom, is the wordgäbig; in German, the term means something like'comfortable, suitable, handy' in the case of objects, or in relation to people and conditions'affable, pleasant, sympathetic'.
{{cite web}}:Missing or empty|title= (help)
Quotations related toLagom at Wikiquote