sakna

Definition & meaning

Sakna is a verb with several related meanings:

• To miss someone or something: to feel their absence or wish they were present.
• To lack something: to not have something that is needed or expected.
• To be missing or absent: to be absent from a place or situation.

Grammar & Word origin

The principal forms are sakna, saknar, saknade, saknat. It is a regular first-conjugation verb.

It is related to the noun saknad ↗, meaning “longing” or “the feeling of missing someone.” The word has roots in Old Norse and is related to English “sake.”

Synonyms & antonyms

• längta efter ↗ — “to long for”; emphasizes a strong desire, while sakna focuses on the feeling of absence.
• inte ha ↗ — “not to have”; a neutral alternative when sakna means “to lack.”
• fattas ↗ — “to be missing” or “to be lacking”; often describes something absent or insufficient.

Depending on the meaning, opposites include:

• ha ↗ — “to have,” the opposite of lacking.
• finnas ↗ — “to exist” or “to be present,” the opposite of being missing.

Common phrases & collocations

• Jag saknar dig. — “I miss you.”
• Sakna erfarenhet. — “To lack experience.”
• Det saknas en stol. — “A chair is missing.”
• Vara saknad ↗ — “To be missed.”