diff --git a/src/analysis/normed_space/SemiNormedGroup/kernels.lean b/src/analysis/normed_space/SemiNormedGroup/kernels.lean
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..d30aefa8de9e1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/analysis/normed_space/SemiNormedGroup/kernels.lean
@@ -0,0 +1,109 @@
+/-
+Copyright (c) 2021 Scott Morrison. All rights reserved.
+Released under Apache 2.0 license as described in the file LICENSE.
+Authors: Riccardo Brasca, Johan Commelin, Scott Morrison
+-/
+import analysis.normed_space.SemiNormedGroup
+import analysis.normed_space.normed_group_quotient
+import category_theory.limits.shapes.kernels
+
+/-!
+# Cokernels in SemiNormedGroup₁ and SemiNormedGroup
+
+We show that `SemiNormedGroup₁` has cokernels
+(for which of course the `cokernel.π f` maps are norm non-increasing),
+as well as the easier result that `SemiNormedGroup` has cokernels.
+
+So far, I don't see a way to state nicely what we really want:
+`SemiNormedGroup` has cokernels, and `cokernel.π f` is norm non-increasing.
+The problem is that the limits API doesn't promise you any particular model of the cokernel,
+and in `SemiNormedGroup` one can always take a cokernel and rescale its norm
+(and hence making `cokernel.π f` arbitrarily large in norm), obtaining another categorical cokernel.
+
+-/
+
+open category_theory
+open category_theory.limits
+
+namespace SemiNormedGroup₁
+
+noncomputable theory
+
+/-- Auxiliary definition for `has_cokernels SemiNormedGroup₁`. -/
+def cokernel_cocone {X Y : SemiNormedGroup₁} (f : X ⟶ Y) : cofork f 0 :=
+cofork.of_π
+  (@SemiNormedGroup₁.mk_hom
+    _ (SemiNormedGroup.of (quotient_add_group.quotient (normed_group_hom.range f.1)))
+    f.1.range.normed_mk
+    (normed_group_hom.is_quotient_quotient _).norm_le)
+  begin
+    ext,
+    simp only [comp_apply, limits.zero_comp, normed_group_hom.zero_apply,
+      SemiNormedGroup₁.mk_hom_apply, SemiNormedGroup₁.zero_apply, ←normed_group_hom.mem_ker,
+      f.1.range.ker_normed_mk, f.1.mem_range],
+    use x,
+    refl,
+  end
+
+/-- Auxiliary definition for `has_cokernels SemiNormedGroup₁`. -/
+def cokernel_lift {X Y : SemiNormedGroup₁} (f : X ⟶ Y) (s : cokernel_cofork f) :
+  (cokernel_cocone f).X ⟶ s.X :=
+begin
+  fsplit,
+  -- The lift itself:
+  { apply normed_group_hom.lift _ s.π.1,
+    rintro _ ⟨b, rfl⟩,
+    change (f ≫ s.π) b = 0,
+    simp, },
+  -- The lift has norm at most one:
+  exact normed_group_hom.lift_norm_noninc _ _ _ s.π.2,
+end
+
+instance : has_cokernels SemiNormedGroup₁ :=
+{ has_colimit := λ X Y f, has_colimit.mk
+  { cocone := cokernel_cocone f,
+    is_colimit := is_colimit_aux _
+      (cokernel_lift f)
+      (λ s, begin
+        ext,
+        apply normed_group_hom.lift_mk f.1.range,
+        rintro _ ⟨b, rfl⟩,
+        change (f ≫ s.π) b = 0,
+        simp,
+      end)
+      (λ s m w, subtype.eq
+        (normed_group_hom.lift_unique f.1.range _ _ _ (congr_arg subtype.val w : _))), } }
+
+end SemiNormedGroup₁
+
+namespace SemiNormedGroup
+-- PROJECT: can we reuse the work to construct cokernels in `SemiNormedGroup₁` here?
+-- I don't see a way to do this that is less work than just repeating the relevant parts.
+
+instance : has_cokernels SemiNormedGroup :=
+{ has_colimit := λ X Y f, has_colimit.mk
+  { cocone := @cofork.of_π _ _ _ _ _ _
+      (SemiNormedGroup.of (quotient_add_group.quotient (normed_group_hom.range f)))
+      f.range.normed_mk
+      begin
+        ext,
+        simp only [comp_apply, limits.zero_comp, normed_group_hom.zero_apply,
+          ←normed_group_hom.mem_ker, f.range.ker_normed_mk, f.mem_range, exists_apply_eq_apply],
+      end,
+    is_colimit := is_colimit_aux _
+      (λ s, begin
+        apply normed_group_hom.lift _ s.π,
+        rintro _ ⟨b, rfl⟩,
+        change (f ≫ s.π) b = 0,
+        simp,
+      end)
+      (λ s, begin
+        ext,
+        apply normed_group_hom.lift_mk f.range,
+        rintro _ ⟨b, rfl⟩,
+        change (f ≫ s.π) b = 0,
+        simp,
+      end)
+      (λ s m w, normed_group_hom.lift_unique f.range _ _ _ w), } }
+
+end SemiNormedGroup
diff --git a/src/analysis/normed_space/normed_group_quotient.lean b/src/analysis/normed_space/normed_group_quotient.lean
index 9f6cea743dd21..706e39f72af99 100644
--- a/src/analysis/normed_space/normed_group_quotient.lean
+++ b/src/analysis/normed_space/normed_group_quotient.lean
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ are isomorphic to the canonical projection onto a normed group quotient.
 ## Main definitions
 
 
-We use `M` and `N` to denote semi normed groups and `S : add_subgroup M`.
+We use `M` and `N` to denote seminormed groups and `S : add_subgroup M`.
 All the following definitions are in the `add_subgroup` namespace. Hence we can access
 `add_subgroup.normed_mk S` as `S.normed_mk`.
 
@@ -444,7 +444,7 @@ def lift {N : Type*} [semi_normed_group N] (S : add_subgroup M)
   end,
   .. quotient_add_group.lift S f.to_add_monoid_hom hf }
 
-lemma lift_mk  {N : Type*} [semi_normed_group N] (S : add_subgroup M)
+lemma lift_mk {N : Type*} [semi_normed_group N] (S : add_subgroup M)
   (f : normed_group_hom M N) (hf : ∀ s ∈ S, f s = 0) (m : M) :
   lift S f hf (S.normed_mk m) = f m := rfl
 
@@ -492,4 +492,41 @@ begin
   { exact ⟨0, f.ker.zero_mem, by simp⟩ }
 end
 
+lemma lift_norm_le {N : Type*} [semi_normed_group N] (S : add_subgroup M)
+  (f : normed_group_hom M N) (hf : ∀ s ∈ S, f s = 0)
+  {c : ℝ≥0} (fb : ∥f∥ ≤ c) :
+  ∥lift S f hf∥ ≤ c :=
+begin
+  apply op_norm_le_bound _ c.coe_nonneg,
+  intros x,
+  by_cases hc : c = 0,
+  { simp only [hc, nnreal.coe_zero, zero_mul] at fb ⊢,
+    obtain ⟨x, rfl⟩ := surjective_quot_mk _ x,
+    show ∥f x∥ ≤ 0,
+    calc ∥f x∥ ≤ 0 * ∥x∥ : f.le_of_op_norm_le fb x
+          ... = 0 : zero_mul _ },
+  { replace hc : 0 < c := pos_iff_ne_zero.mpr hc,
+    apply le_of_forall_pos_le_add,
+    intros ε hε,
+    have aux : 0 < (ε / c) := div_pos hε hc,
+    obtain ⟨x, rfl, Hx⟩ : ∃ x', S.normed_mk x' = x ∧ ∥x'∥ < ∥x∥ + (ε / c) :=
+      (is_quotient_quotient _).norm_lift aux _,
+    rw lift_mk,
+    calc ∥f x∥ ≤ c * ∥x∥ : f.le_of_op_norm_le fb x
+          ... ≤ c * (∥S.normed_mk x∥ + ε / c) : (mul_le_mul_left _).mpr Hx.le
+          ... = c * _ + ε : _,
+    { exact_mod_cast hc },
+    { rw [mul_add, mul_div_cancel'], exact_mod_cast hc.ne' } },
+end
+
+lemma lift_norm_noninc {N : Type*} [semi_normed_group N] (S : add_subgroup M)
+  (f : normed_group_hom M N) (hf : ∀ s ∈ S, f s = 0)
+  (fb : f.norm_noninc) :
+  (lift S f hf).norm_noninc :=
+λ x,
+begin
+  have fb' : ∥f∥ ≤ (1 : ℝ≥0) := norm_noninc.norm_noninc_iff_norm_le_one.mp fb,
+  simpa using le_of_op_norm_le _ (f.lift_norm_le _ _ fb') _,
+end
+
 end normed_group_hom