Two separate northern European countries that are not neighbours — Germany sits between them. Denmark speaks Danish, a North Germanic language related to Norwegian and Swedish. The Netherlands speaks Dutch, a West Germanic language closer to English and German. The confusion is largely the similarity of "Danish" and "Dutch" in English.
The core difference
- Denmark — Scandinavian, language Danish, capital Copenhagen. Danes call it Danmark.
- Netherlands — a Low Country, language Dutch, capital Amsterdam. The Dutch call it Nederland.
They do not share a border. Germany lies between them, and Denmark is the only Scandinavian country attached to the European mainland.
Why the names get mixed up
Danish and Dutch both begin with a D and both name small, prosperous, flat, cycling-heavy countries near the North Sea. That is about where the similarity ends: the words are unrelated. Dutch traces to the Germanic word behind Deutsch; Danish comes from the name of the Danes.
The languages are in different branches
- Danish — North Germanic, alongside Norwegian, Swedish, Icelandic and Faroese. Danes, Norwegians and Swedes can often understand one another in writing.
- Dutch — West Germanic, alongside German, English, Frisian and Afrikaans.
So a Dutch speaker is closer to a German speaker than to a Dane, despite the map suggesting otherwise.
The things named after each
A Danish pastry is named for Denmark, though Danes call it wienerbrød — "Viennese bread" — because the technique came from Austrian bakers. Dutch appears in a long list of English phrases, many of them originally insults from periods of Anglo-Dutch rivalry: going Dutch, Dutch courage, double Dutch.
Frequently asked questions
Do Denmark and the Netherlands share a border?
No. Germany lies between them. Denmark borders Germany to its south; the Netherlands borders Germany to its east.
Is Danish similar to Dutch?
No. Danish is North Germanic, related to Norwegian and Swedish. Dutch is West Germanic, related to German and English.
Is a Danish pastry from Denmark?
It is named for Denmark, but Danes call it wienerbrød — "Viennese bread" — because the technique was brought by Austrian bakers.