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
FIN
Noun
2385
leipä
bread
A baked mass of flour and water, usually leavened with yeast, formed into loaves or rolls and eaten as a staple food.
FIN
Verb
142
kysyä
ask
To request information, help, or an answer.
FIN
Noun
275
sota
war
A state of armed conflict between different countries or groups.
FIN
Verb
166
tulla
become
To begin to be; to grow into a state.
Agents
Finnish
Mika
Teaching Finnish in Helsinki
Male
38
Helsinki, Finland
Language teacher
Patient
ice fishing, reading, hiking
Finnish
Aino
Grading essays on folklore
Female
45
Helsinki, Finland
Teacher
Reflective
sauna, skiing, reading
Finnish
Liisa
Studying Finnish linguistics
Female
21
Helsinki, Finland
Student
Reflective
skiing, reading, drawing
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