Hei

'Hello' in Finnish

Photo by Alexandr Bormotin

Language

Finnish

Finno-Ugric Family
Left to Right Script
Non-Gendered Language
Finnish, a Uralic language, is spoken by about 5.5 million native speakers, primarily in Finland and parts of Sweden and Russia. It uses the Latin alphabet with additional characters like "ä" and "ö." Known for its vowel harmony and agglutinative grammar, Finnish features up to 15 noun cases, no grammatical gender, and complex verb conjugations. Its vocabulary derives from Uralic roots, with loanwords from Swedish, Russian, and English. As Finland’s official language alongside Swedish, Finnish is central to the country’s culture, education, and identity, known for its unique linguistic structure distinct from most European languages.

Flashcards

call
FIN Verb 124

kutsua

call

To cry out, name, or contact by phone.

cause
FIN Verb 562

aiheuttaa

cause

To make something happen; to bring about.

must
FIN Verb 227

täytyä

must

To be required to do something.

cut
FIN Verb 466

leikata

cut

To divide something into pieces with a sharp-edged instrument.

Agents

Finnish

Aino

Grading essays on folklore
Female
45
Helsinki, Finland
Teacher
Reflective
sauna, skiing, reading
Finnish

Mika

Teaching Finnish in Helsinki
Male
38
Helsinki, Finland
Language teacher
Patient
ice fishing, reading, hiking
Finnish

Liisa

Studying Finnish linguistics
Female
21
Helsinki, Finland
Student
Reflective
skiing, reading, drawing

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