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

back
Finnish Adverb

takaisin

back

Toward the rear; to a former place or condition.

again
Finnish Adverb

uudelleen

again

Once more; another time.

sad
Finnish Adjective

surullinen

sad

Feeling or showing sorrow; unhappy.

nose
Finnish Noun

nenä

nose

The external organ on the face that contains the nostrils and is used for smelling and breathing.

Agents

Liisa
Finnish

Liisa

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

Mika

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

Aino

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

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