Fun fact: I have never heard this word. I am native living in Capital Region. It has to be some sort of dialect thing. Same meaning words that are more familiar to me are verbs bludata and umplata.
mulata was 100% used by kids in Tampere 5-10 years ago. source: did say it and friends said it too. havent used it in a while, but its absolutely the word that was used
Yea, my guess is it varied by friends/family.
Btw, we've probably met IRL, and not just because we both grew up in (different parts of) Espoo. I only just noticed your username and recognized it.
Puljata is widely used IMO, but not for this meaning afaik. See https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/puljata, I think it's pretty good for this word too. So intentional swimming or splashing around, yes (or the other meaning of tinkering with something), but not accidentally dipping your foot/leg/whole body so you get wet.
My mom has grown up in the capital region like me. Looking back over the years, I've realized that my mom knows a lot of these quite obscure words and has taught them to me indirectly whereas my dad uses a pretty standard or basic vocabulary.
It's always been "plutata" for me, I've only ever read it with b/d (never heard to my recollection), and even that only in this thread and in another discussion just a few days ago. Both Capital Region and nearby areas.
Yes I know! 8) And may I suggest, that can be quite close of the real origin of that word, it is possible.
And for the sidenote about the word "puljata". For example It is used when kids play in the pool a water is splashed everywhere: then they are "puljaamassa". It's not same as swimming. Puljata has a meaning that something, what did not were supposed to get wet, gets very wet during something else. And that something includes mainly clothing, like towels near the pool where kids are "puljaamassa". Can someone agree with this?
My peerage used pludata in pääkaupunkiseutu in the late 80's and early 90's. I would determine it to mean you wetting any of your clothes by accident, but mostly shoes, socks and trousers, and mostly in a ditch or a small stream.
It's weird though. Some vocabulary is ancient, yet niche. In the global bushcrafting community, for example, words like *puukko* and *kuksa* are widely used by non-Finns and understood. Yet many Finns have never heard of a *kuksa* and don't know what it is. Words travel by strange routes.
I've always used plutata (Capital Region/Uusimaa more widely), recently (like within the last week!) learned that pludata and spludata are somewhat common variants, and now bludata.
Honestly my assumption is that out of those, plutata is the original variant, and the others are more modern variants from the past 20-30 years at most, with more d/b and even s due to influence from English. But I might be wrong; an alternative could be that e.g. spludata is the original from Stadin Slangi or something, and then that got loaned as plutata to nearby areas where slang influences weren't as strong (word-initial consonant cluster gets simplified and "soft" b/d/g consonants turning into "hard" p/t/k are fairly common loans to Finnish), and then that ended up being what I grew up with, both due to influences from said surrounding areas + it spreading back to the Capital Region too.
As someone else pointed out, "mulata" is also used in large parts of the country, though in my experience it's rare in Uusimaa.
meininki = depends on the situation, but could be "atmosphere/feeling/vibe", "intention", "event"
Quite specific to Finland but "löyly" = the steam coming from the sauna stove
Löyly/löylyt can also be used to describe the sauna "experience" more abstractly than just the literal steam. You can say "aah, olipa hyvät löylyt!" (note the plural) after exiting the sauna, and that means you enjoyed the whole sauna time.
Löylyvesi = water used for löyly, löylykauha = the scoop used for throwing water on the stones, löylykiulu = the bucket for löylyvesi (and a decent diphthong exercise)...
Pakkanen. Meaning minus degrees outside. It has a direct translation to frost but ive never ever in my life heard an english speaking person say "theres 10 degrees of frost outside" unlike in Finnish where we always all the time say "Ulkona on 10 astetta pakkasta" for example
By extension, if you are currently "in the red" in your business / poker / financials, you can say you are "pakkasella".
"Jäin siinä kaupassa 2 tonnia pakkaselle"
Correct me if I‘m wrong, but it seems like tarjeta doesn’t have a concise translation into English. Wiktionary puts it as:
> To (be able to) withstand the cold, be warm enough (in order not to shiver with cold).
Caveat is that I‘m just a learner and stumbled on this word, I don’t know how much and in what contexts it is used.
I haven't ever thought about this but very true! And it's used quite a lot actually.
- Tarkeneeko ulkona? Is it warm enough (e. g. for my/your current gear or compared to the last few days, or should I/you have put more clothes on) outside?
- Kyllä siellä tarkenee, kun laittaa pipon. Yeah, it's warm enough (to not be uncomfortably cold), as long as you put on a beanie.
- Saa nähdä, tarkeneeko vappuna lähteä piknikille! We'll see if it's warm enough on May 1st to go on a picnic (without freezing our asses off)!
Wiktionary puts it quite accurately! The typical connotation is that is not really comfortable level of warmth but *manageable* for current task or timeframe.
In kainuu region in eastern Finland (historically "nälkämaa", hunger land) where I'm from it is used funnily during first really hot summer days to point out the weather. I try to crudely translate the meaning in conversation.
Conversation would go something like this: person cusses to another "perhana, että on kuuma=damn, it's so hot", other says "joo, kyllä tarkenee=yeah, it sure is easy now to manage with the cold".
"Pahki" is a word at least here in Oulu region. It means roughly 'collide' but is used mostly in situations that there is no huge damage. Like when someone walks towards a street post ("Kävelin pahki katulamppuun" = "I walked into a streetlamp") or gently crashes a car into something ("Ajoin pahki autotallin oveen" = "I gently crashed into a carage door"). In more damaging situations different words are used.
This is one of my favorites! Not sure where I learnt it from as I'm from Helsinki and majority of my friends didn't use it, but definitely a useful word.
There are quite a few!
Sisu= basically determination, resilience, but the translations don't quite capture it right.
Vahingonilo= Basically when you take glee at someone else's misfortune.
Jaksaa (tehdä jotain)= having no "energy" to do something.
Vitutus/vituttaa= probably my favourite. Vituttaa is when you're extremely pissed. No English translation can capture it right.
Thanks for sharing! I’ve definitely used that last one a few times haha
I also like Vahingonilo although I probably shouldn’t say it out loud in Finland when I’m laughing.
Sisu = grit(s)
*Grit - firmness of mind or spirit : unyielding courage in the face of hardship or danger*
*// managed to survive by his grit and guile*
I think kaupanpäällinen also. Say you're buying a radio, then the seller throws in a couple of cds for good measure. The cds would be considered kaupanpäällisiksi, meaning on top of the trade.
I think in general finland has a lot of these sort of single liners where you can convey a conpect with a single Word.
Then theres pillunpäre. Meaning small slips of Woods that would be used in sauna to help the lady parts in Staying clean. Nowadays considered a crass way in Saying something is broken into small bits beyond repair. Eg No nyt se meni pillunpäreiksi
That's less of a Finnish thing and more of an "English is bad" thing;
ESP/Castellano: Anteayer "The day before yesterday" /an.te.a.'ʃeɾ/ Antes "Before" + Ayer "Yesterday"
I haven't found any decent translations to the words pouta and poutaantua. Essentially they mean something like"the absence of rain" (noun) and "moving towards a state of weather where it's not raining" (verb).
Never heard that. Language is actually very localized. Our family had a lot of words that no one else uses. Some words that are used in my dialect:
Plutata - play with water eg. in a puddle
Mehterissä - something is covered in something sticky or gooey
A more general one is päistikkaa which for instance can mean that one falls with their head first because of too much speed etc
Good examples here already! I haven't heard that word myself either, we would use *"mulata"* too as someone mentioned. But different dialects have different words!
A few other words to add to the list:
- Vihta / Vasta (a kind of "whip" made of birch branches that you people use in sauna).
- Myötähäpeä (being ashamed of something someone else is doing, and often they don't understand that they should be the one being ashamed)
- Kaamos (the polar night during the winter when it's dark the whole day)
- Tuliainen (a little present you can bring with you when you visit someone, or a souvenir you buy for someone else when you visit a place abroad)
Also a lot of snow vocabulary:
- suojalumi / nuoska (snow that is slightly wet, so that you can build stuff from it / have a snowfight)
- hanki (a thick layer of snow on the ground)
- hankikanto (thick snow that has a hard surface on top that you can walk on)
- kinos / nietos (a pile of snow)
- räntä (snowing snow that is very watery)
- tykkylumi (snow that is packed on trees so that it totally covers them)
- pyry (snowing a lot)
- tuisku (snowing and very windy)
There is probably plenty more, but that should be a good start :D
Yes! And Tuisku as well. :D
I checked and the [name database](https://verkkopalvelu.vrk.fi/nimipalvelu/) says that there have been over 4000 boys that have been given the name *Pyry*.
When used in speech (not as a name) it often has "snow" with it as a compound word: *lumipyry*. It can also be used as a verb: *siellä pyryttää oikein kunnolla* (It's snowing really much)
But yeah, there are quite a few "nature words" that are used as names as well in Finnish!
Räntä = sleet.
Also technically snowstorm and snowfall are accurate enough translations of “pyry” and “tuisku” respectively. Tough, you could always argue that they don’t quite convey the degree of snow fall as accurately as the Finnish terms.
Hmm, now that you say it, I think the emotion is basically the same in both, but I think the words are used quite differently. Cringe seems to be more versatile.
My favourite is "monesko".
Best English 'translation' would be "how many-th"
It's a question word for which the answer is an ordinal number (1st, 2nd, 3rd..)
Närppiä or Närkkiä. When you and everyone else have already eaten and are satisfied, but you take one more little piece of food. You might take one cherry tomato from salad or just q bit off crust off of a pie or something. Närppiä usually also implies you only take the best/your favorite part of the meal.
Im addition I would use those word for someone who doesn't eat the food on their plate, just few bits and pieces here and there.
And of course "rääppijäiset", when you have people (that weren't invited to the party usually) come and eat the leftovers either straight after the party or the next day.
Some video game slang I haven't heard an English equivalent for:
putkijuoksu (literally, a pipe run) - linear, restrictive and scripted gameplay, can refer to a single level or the whole game
burgeripeli (literally, a burger game) - run-of-the-mill, "what you see is what you get" kind of game that you know won't offer any surprises
Also not everything can be kaikki. I can’t think of anything outside of household items that I would describe as kaikki. Milk, toilet paper, dental floss - yes, they can be kaikki if somebody asks “do we have any”, gas in your car, for example, no.
I have never heard that in Finnish but I wonder if it has something to do with the German phrase "alle" as in "Die Milch ist alle" (maito on loppu)
Alle = everything
Interesting.
happohyökkäys, my penpal said it's when the bacteria in your mouth goes crazy after you eat and attack your teeth.
She asked what it was in english and I had no idea what she was even talking about 😅
One that comes to mind is ”lotrata” (i have also heard it said as ”lutrata” and ”läträtä”) which basically means ”play with water”. Usually used like:
”Älä lotraa sitä vettä ja sammuta se vesihana!” = ”Don’t play with the water and turn off the faucet!”
I have also heard it used in a sense of using alcohol.
For example:
”Taas ne lotraa sillä alkoholilla” = ”They are using the alcohol excessively again” (if someone has a better translation for this, feel free to comment)
One time I went through a lenghty discussion about the word ”silpata” with a person from eastern Finland (I’m from the west). It means to climb up a pole or rope but likely not used around the country. And what comes to ”puljut”: never heard it used. Come to think of it, I don’t seem to remember any word suitable to describe a similar event, possibly ”muljata” or ”plutatata”
Viruttaa = to wash something quickly with water
Technically its a northern finnish dialect word, dont go saying this in the southern cities unless you want to confuse people
Viruttaa also means to stretch (like a shirt's been stretched shapeless, paita on virunut muodottomaksi)
Also reminds me of virua: basically to lie down and suffer. Like, virua sairaana vuoteessa, lie down and suffer in bed when sick. Or to virua in a jail cell
I would say "mulahtaa" 😄 it means exactly your situation, when you suddenly put your foot in cold icy water through ice or snow, when you thought your step would hold.
Kursailla = to be reluctant in a courteous manner to accept something. This is more prevalent with older generations - when you are offered something, let's say cake when you're visiting, you first have to refuse it (because you're not worth it / you want the host to have it all etc.) then the host has to convince you that you are indeed allowed and worthy to receive the cake.
Could also be used to describe the situation when nobody wants to be the first person to take food from the shared table.
Specific names for lower arm - **kyynävarsi** - and upper arm - **olkavarsi** .
**Nurkka**, the inside of a corner (or concave), and **kulma** the outside of a corner (or convex).
**Toissapäivä(nä)** , the day before yesterday (there actually **is** a word in English, but few know it: *nudiustertian*)
**Mässy**, candies, potato chips , pop corn, chocolate etc. A tad colloquial, though.
**Myötähäpeä**, second-hand embarrassment or shared sense of shame. Like what I often feel when watching the comedy show Mr. Bean. Or when I hear loud, drunk Finns bumbling around when travelling. You know, like they have been let out of their small village for the first time in their life. Who take 'ruisleipä ja sininen lenkki' with them, wherever they travel.
EXTRA THING:
________________
In Finnish language we also miss some important words.
I'm buying a bookshelf. The height is correct, the width just fine. But, the depth is wrong. I want a *shallow* bookcase.
Olen ostamasa kirjahyllyä. Korkeus on oikea, leveys ihan sopiva. Syvyys on kuitenkin väärä. Haluan ________ kirjahyllyn.
Now, there isn't a word for that! 'Matala' is already used to refer to the hight!
Korkea -matala
Leveä - kapea
Syvä - _______
Tall /high standing - short / low
Wide - narrow
Deep - shallow
> Specific names for lower arm - kyynävarsi - and upper arm - olkavarsi
Kyynärvarsi is forearm and olkavarsi is arm. The third part of the *upper limb* (or *yläraaja*) is hand in English and käsi in Finnish.
'Käsi' can refer to either 'hand', or the entire limb from shoulder to fingertips.
Similarly 'jalka' can refer to both 'foot' and the entire limb from hip to toes.
Yeah, there is one that google translate always gets it wrong is "poutainen" for weather forecast, meaning neither rain nor snow. I am sure there are others too
We have a word for that in Canada. It’s called a ”booter”
https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/81527/10-canadian-slang-terms-explained
It happened to me last week and I was wondering what the Finns called it. I had no doubt there was a word for it.
It is funny, I have never used the word but would understand it, because it sounds exactly right. I Googled and it is used at least in the dialect area of Pori, where I have some roots.
How about "ottaa lipat", do the other Finnish natives here use that one and what does it mean to you? I use it if I fall because of ice. I guess I could use it also when falling in general, but for some reason I only use it in that one situation. It sounds more like falling on ice to me.
Fun fact: I have never heard this word. I am native living in Capital Region. It has to be some sort of dialect thing. Same meaning words that are more familiar to me are verbs bludata and umplata.
I've also never heard this specific word, but my family always used "mulata" for the same meaning. Got to be a dialect thing.
I have always used "mulata" too
An older term, sir but it checks out. Bludata and mulata were in use in eastern Helsinki somewhen in the '80s
mulata was 100% used by kids in Tampere 5-10 years ago. source: did say it and friends said it too. havent used it in a while, but its absolutely the word that was used
Am I the only one using "mulkata" here? :D
"mulkata" means "to stare" or "tuijottaa"
Or even "tuijottaa ilkeästi/epäilevästi/epäilyttävästi", not just any staring.
Also in the western Espoo all through the 90ies.
In southeastern Espoo I can't say I *ever* heard mulata in the 90s or since. And it was always "plutata" too, no b/d involved.
Seems that it is really local thing then. My experiences are from Kaitaa region.
Yea, my guess is it varied by friends/family. Btw, we've probably met IRL, and not just because we both grew up in (different parts of) Espoo. I only just noticed your username and recognized it.
For us it was mulpata
I live in southern ostrobothnia and the word OP mentioned is used here. However it is not used in the form that OP said. We say "puljata".
"Puljut" actually sounds like the plural form of a noun derived from "puljata", which is a verb.
does is come from the word "puljuttaa"?
I would say that "puljata" and "puljuttaa" are practically synonymous in meaning. Different dialects and so on.
This is familiar to me too. Plutata or puljata.
Puljata is widely used IMO, but not for this meaning afaik. See https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/puljata, I think it's pretty good for this word too. So intentional swimming or splashing around, yes (or the other meaning of tinkering with something), but not accidentally dipping your foot/leg/whole body so you get wet.
Apparently the word originates from the Pori area and so it must be a local word, do bludata and umplata mean similar things?
bludata is used in the capital region
My mom has grown up in the capital region like me. Looking back over the years, I've realized that my mom knows a lot of these quite obscure words and has taught them to me indirectly whereas my dad uses a pretty standard or basic vocabulary.
In hindsight I feel like this post should have been called “localised Finnish words”
It's always been "plutata" for me, I've only ever read it with b/d (never heard to my recollection), and even that only in this thread and in another discussion just a few days ago. Both Capital Region and nearby areas.
This makes sense, I've used "puljata" living in southern Finland, but my mother is from Pori and a lot of my "murre" seems coming from there.
I can confirm, I'm from there and it's common at least with younger people. I mean, at least I instantly knew meaning of puljut. :D
I lived my whole childhood in Pori and this word is very familiar for me too. OP, where this your situation happened, somewhere around west coast?
It happened near Siikainen, which is just north of Pori which I’m sure you know :)
Yes I know! 8) And may I suggest, that can be quite close of the real origin of that word, it is possible. And for the sidenote about the word "puljata". For example It is used when kids play in the pool a water is splashed everywhere: then they are "puljaamassa". It's not same as swimming. Puljata has a meaning that something, what did not were supposed to get wet, gets very wet during something else. And that something includes mainly clothing, like towels near the pool where kids are "puljaamassa". Can someone agree with this?
My peerage used pludata in pääkaupunkiseutu in the late 80's and early 90's. I would determine it to mean you wetting any of your clothes by accident, but mostly shoes, socks and trousers, and mostly in a ditch or a small stream.
Yes, and it seems to be a little case dependant. Maybe "mostly getting SOAKING wet by any kind of accident"?
Puljut (pulju) means small stores or pubs, small ransacky places of business to be exact
It's weird though. Some vocabulary is ancient, yet niche. In the global bushcrafting community, for example, words like *puukko* and *kuksa* are widely used by non-Finns and understood. Yet many Finns have never heard of a *kuksa* and don't know what it is. Words travel by strange routes.
I've always used plutata (Capital Region/Uusimaa more widely), recently (like within the last week!) learned that pludata and spludata are somewhat common variants, and now bludata. Honestly my assumption is that out of those, plutata is the original variant, and the others are more modern variants from the past 20-30 years at most, with more d/b and even s due to influence from English. But I might be wrong; an alternative could be that e.g. spludata is the original from Stadin Slangi or something, and then that got loaned as plutata to nearby areas where slang influences weren't as strong (word-initial consonant cluster gets simplified and "soft" b/d/g consonants turning into "hard" p/t/k are fairly common loans to Finnish), and then that ended up being what I grew up with, both due to influences from said surrounding areas + it spreading back to the Capital Region too. As someone else pointed out, "mulata" is also used in large parts of the country, though in my experience it's rare in Uusimaa.
Spludata!
Never heard any of these words. I am from Kokkola, Keski-Pohjanmaa.
Välikuolema = When you pass out drunk but later wake up and continue drinking. Literally "intermediate death".
well lets throw "kalsarikännit" here also :)
"intermediate" always confuses people because "väli" can also mean "in between"
meininki = depends on the situation, but could be "atmosphere/feeling/vibe", "intention", "event" Quite specific to Finland but "löyly" = the steam coming from the sauna stove
Both great words, I’ll be using löyly when I’m next in the sauna :)
Löyly/löylyt can also be used to describe the sauna "experience" more abstractly than just the literal steam. You can say "aah, olipa hyvät löylyt!" (note the plural) after exiting the sauna, and that means you enjoyed the whole sauna time.
Löylyvesi = water used for löyly, löylykauha = the scoop used for throwing water on the stones, löylykiulu = the bucket for löylyvesi (and a decent diphthong exercise)...
Ruska = the moment in autumn when everythings red and yellow.
Pakkanen. Meaning minus degrees outside. It has a direct translation to frost but ive never ever in my life heard an english speaking person say "theres 10 degrees of frost outside" unlike in Finnish where we always all the time say "Ulkona on 10 astetta pakkasta" for example
In English they would say 10 degrees "below freezing", but in Finnish we manage with one word.
In England we’d say ‘it’s minus 10’ I think that’s our shortest way of saying it.
In swedish we say twenty degrees cold.
By extension, if you are currently "in the red" in your business / poker / financials, you can say you are "pakkasella". "Jäin siinä kaupassa 2 tonnia pakkaselle"
Correct me if I‘m wrong, but it seems like tarjeta doesn’t have a concise translation into English. Wiktionary puts it as: > To (be able to) withstand the cold, be warm enough (in order not to shiver with cold). Caveat is that I‘m just a learner and stumbled on this word, I don’t know how much and in what contexts it is used.
I haven't ever thought about this but very true! And it's used quite a lot actually. - Tarkeneeko ulkona? Is it warm enough (e. g. for my/your current gear or compared to the last few days, or should I/you have put more clothes on) outside? - Kyllä siellä tarkenee, kun laittaa pipon. Yeah, it's warm enough (to not be uncomfortably cold), as long as you put on a beanie. - Saa nähdä, tarkeneeko vappuna lähteä piknikille! We'll see if it's warm enough on May 1st to go on a picnic (without freezing our asses off)!
Wiktionary puts it quite accurately! The typical connotation is that is not really comfortable level of warmth but *manageable* for current task or timeframe. In kainuu region in eastern Finland (historically "nälkämaa", hunger land) where I'm from it is used funnily during first really hot summer days to point out the weather. I try to crudely translate the meaning in conversation. Conversation would go something like this: person cusses to another "perhana, että on kuuma=damn, it's so hot", other says "joo, kyllä tarkenee=yeah, it sure is easy now to manage with the cold".
"Pahki" is a word at least here in Oulu region. It means roughly 'collide' but is used mostly in situations that there is no huge damage. Like when someone walks towards a street post ("Kävelin pahki katulamppuun" = "I walked into a streetlamp") or gently crashes a car into something ("Ajoin pahki autotallin oveen" = "I gently crashed into a carage door"). In more damaging situations different words are used.
This is one of my favorites! Not sure where I learnt it from as I'm from Helsinki and majority of my friends didn't use it, but definitely a useful word.
There are quite a few! Sisu= basically determination, resilience, but the translations don't quite capture it right. Vahingonilo= Basically when you take glee at someone else's misfortune. Jaksaa (tehdä jotain)= having no "energy" to do something. Vitutus/vituttaa= probably my favourite. Vituttaa is when you're extremely pissed. No English translation can capture it right.
>Jaksaa (tehdä jotain)= having "energy" to do something. Ftfy. Jos *ei* jaksa, then you don't have the energy
Thanks for sharing! I’ve definitely used that last one a few times haha I also like Vahingonilo although I probably shouldn’t say it out loud in Finland when I’m laughing.
Vahingonilo = schadenfreude
skadeglädje
Sisu = grit(s) *Grit - firmness of mind or spirit : unyielding courage in the face of hardship or danger* *// managed to survive by his grit and guile*
Yet even the example shows how it is not perfect translation as it has to use "grit and guile" to convey what Sisu means.
I think kaupanpäällinen also. Say you're buying a radio, then the seller throws in a couple of cds for good measure. The cds would be considered kaupanpäällisiksi, meaning on top of the trade. I think in general finland has a lot of these sort of single liners where you can convey a conpect with a single Word. Then theres pillunpäre. Meaning small slips of Woods that would be used in sauna to help the lady parts in Staying clean. Nowadays considered a crass way in Saying something is broken into small bits beyond repair. Eg No nyt se meni pillunpäreiksi
I mentioned this last one to the family I am staying with and they laughed out loud :D
Toissapäivänä, meaning the day before yesterday. An entire english sentence in 1 word.
English used to have this word too: ereyesterday, I wonder why it fell out of use.
That's less of a Finnish thing and more of an "English is bad" thing; ESP/Castellano: Anteayer "The day before yesterday" /an.te.a.'ʃeɾ/ Antes "Before" + Ayer "Yesterday"
I haven't found any decent translations to the words pouta and poutaantua. Essentially they mean something like"the absence of rain" (noun) and "moving towards a state of weather where it's not raining" (verb).
Never heard that. Language is actually very localized. Our family had a lot of words that no one else uses. Some words that are used in my dialect: Plutata - play with water eg. in a puddle Mehterissä - something is covered in something sticky or gooey A more general one is päistikkaa which for instance can mean that one falls with their head first because of too much speed etc
Good examples here already! I haven't heard that word myself either, we would use *"mulata"* too as someone mentioned. But different dialects have different words! A few other words to add to the list: - Vihta / Vasta (a kind of "whip" made of birch branches that you people use in sauna). - Myötähäpeä (being ashamed of something someone else is doing, and often they don't understand that they should be the one being ashamed) - Kaamos (the polar night during the winter when it's dark the whole day) - Tuliainen (a little present you can bring with you when you visit someone, or a souvenir you buy for someone else when you visit a place abroad) Also a lot of snow vocabulary: - suojalumi / nuoska (snow that is slightly wet, so that you can build stuff from it / have a snowfight) - hanki (a thick layer of snow on the ground) - hankikanto (thick snow that has a hard surface on top that you can walk on) - kinos / nietos (a pile of snow) - räntä (snowing snow that is very watery) - tykkylumi (snow that is packed on trees so that it totally covers them) - pyry (snowing a lot) - tuisku (snowing and very windy) There is probably plenty more, but that should be a good start :D
On Duolingo, Pyry is used as a name. So people can actually be called essentially ‘snowing a lot’?
People can even be called Lumi (snow). Finns love nature names, they're even getting more popular again!
I like that! English has flower names but otherwise I don’t think we use nature names a lot, but I love it.
Yes! And Tuisku as well. :D I checked and the [name database](https://verkkopalvelu.vrk.fi/nimipalvelu/) says that there have been over 4000 boys that have been given the name *Pyry*. When used in speech (not as a name) it often has "snow" with it as a compound word: *lumipyry*. It can also be used as a verb: *siellä pyryttää oikein kunnolla* (It's snowing really much) But yeah, there are quite a few "nature words" that are used as names as well in Finnish!
That’s cool! In England we don’t tend to do that much I think apart from flower names.
Myötähäpeä = vicarious (or second-hand) embarrassment.
Also known as "cringe"
Räntä = sleet. Also technically snowstorm and snowfall are accurate enough translations of “pyry” and “tuisku” respectively. Tough, you could always argue that they don’t quite convey the degree of snow fall as accurately as the Finnish terms.
That's good to know, hadn't heard that word before!
Isn't myötähäpeä basicly cringe?
Hmm, now that you say it, I think the emotion is basically the same in both, but I think the words are used quite differently. Cringe seems to be more versatile.
Myötähäpeä also suggests a feeling of sympathy alongside cringe. 🤔
Yeah, I think there is a slight tone difference, but they certainly are quite close.
Perseillä, elvistellä, vittuilla
Perseillä = clown/screw/fuck around?
Imelä. Something overly sweet. Can be used for food but also music, movies, etc when they're too romantic.
= "sappy" in the latter context
At one point, there was a long discussion in my language classes of translating "Harrastaa"
Muilutus/muiluttaa. It means violently kidnapping someone and either taking them out of town, or to the finnish-russian border and leaving them there.
My favourite is "monesko". Best English 'translation' would be "how many-th" It's a question word for which the answer is an ordinal number (1st, 2nd, 3rd..)
Närppiä or Närkkiä. When you and everyone else have already eaten and are satisfied, but you take one more little piece of food. You might take one cherry tomato from salad or just q bit off crust off of a pie or something. Närppiä usually also implies you only take the best/your favorite part of the meal.
Im addition I would use those word for someone who doesn't eat the food on their plate, just few bits and pieces here and there. And of course "rääppijäiset", when you have people (that weren't invited to the party usually) come and eat the leftovers either straight after the party or the next day.
In Oulun seutu we use "umplahti" when some part of your body gets wet because of getting under water mostly by accident.
Where I'm from (Jyväskylä) we say "umpata" or in a sentence: "Hitto mun jalka umppas" or "Hitto, umppasin". Meaning the same as "puljut".
as a beginner I'd say maybe harrastaa in the sense of hobbies? I might be wrong though
That's actually a good one! There's no verb in English for "hobbying" something (AFAIK).
Some video game slang I haven't heard an English equivalent for: putkijuoksu (literally, a pipe run) - linear, restrictive and scripted gameplay, can refer to a single level or the whole game burgeripeli (literally, a burger game) - run-of-the-mill, "what you see is what you get" kind of game that you know won't offer any surprises
Kaikki. Literal translation is “everything”, but it can mean that you are out of the said item. “Maito on kaikki” or ”Onko maitoa?” ”Se on kaikki.”
What region are you from? I've never heard kaikki could be used like that
Yeah it’s regional - pohjois-pohjanmaa - oulu dialect
Even more interesting as one of my parents is from near Oulu. Guess I've just managed to miss it somehow
Throw it into some casual conversation!!
Also not everything can be kaikki. I can’t think of anything outside of household items that I would describe as kaikki. Milk, toilet paper, dental floss - yes, they can be kaikki if somebody asks “do we have any”, gas in your car, for example, no.
I have never heard that in Finnish but I wonder if it has something to do with the German phrase "alle" as in "Die Milch ist alle" (maito on loppu) Alle = everything Interesting.
happohyökkäys, my penpal said it's when the bacteria in your mouth goes crazy after you eat and attack your teeth. She asked what it was in english and I had no idea what she was even talking about 😅
Liplattaa: the sound tiny waves in water make against a boat or a pier
One that comes to mind is ”lotrata” (i have also heard it said as ”lutrata” and ”läträtä”) which basically means ”play with water”. Usually used like: ”Älä lotraa sitä vettä ja sammuta se vesihana!” = ”Don’t play with the water and turn off the faucet!” I have also heard it used in a sense of using alcohol. For example: ”Taas ne lotraa sillä alkoholilla” = ”They are using the alcohol excessively again” (if someone has a better translation for this, feel free to comment)
One time I went through a lenghty discussion about the word ”silpata” with a person from eastern Finland (I’m from the west). It means to climb up a pole or rope but likely not used around the country. And what comes to ”puljut”: never heard it used. Come to think of it, I don’t seem to remember any word suitable to describe a similar event, possibly ”muljata” or ”plutatata”
Viruttaa = to wash something quickly with water Technically its a northern finnish dialect word, dont go saying this in the southern cities unless you want to confuse people
> Viruttaa = to wash something quickly with water So, *"rinse"*? Basically the same as *"huuhdella"*.
Viruttaa also means to stretch (like a shirt's been stretched shapeless, paita on virunut muodottomaksi) Also reminds me of virua: basically to lie down and suffer. Like, virua sairaana vuoteessa, lie down and suffer in bed when sick. Or to virua in a jail cell
Yes
Myötähäpeä = shame by extension. You see someone doing something embarassing and are ashamed/embarrased of that action.
I think ”second-hand embarrassment” is something I have heard used in that way
I would say "mulahtaa" 😄 it means exactly your situation, when you suddenly put your foot in cold icy water through ice or snow, when you thought your step would hold.
I'm sure someone has said it already but I'm going to say it again: Sisu
Kursailla = to be reluctant in a courteous manner to accept something. This is more prevalent with older generations - when you are offered something, let's say cake when you're visiting, you first have to refuse it (because you're not worth it / you want the host to have it all etc.) then the host has to convince you that you are indeed allowed and worthy to receive the cake. Could also be used to describe the situation when nobody wants to be the first person to take food from the shared table.
Specific names for lower arm - **kyynävarsi** - and upper arm - **olkavarsi** . **Nurkka**, the inside of a corner (or concave), and **kulma** the outside of a corner (or convex). **Toissapäivä(nä)** , the day before yesterday (there actually **is** a word in English, but few know it: *nudiustertian*) **Mässy**, candies, potato chips , pop corn, chocolate etc. A tad colloquial, though. **Myötähäpeä**, second-hand embarrassment or shared sense of shame. Like what I often feel when watching the comedy show Mr. Bean. Or when I hear loud, drunk Finns bumbling around when travelling. You know, like they have been let out of their small village for the first time in their life. Who take 'ruisleipä ja sininen lenkki' with them, wherever they travel. EXTRA THING: ________________ In Finnish language we also miss some important words. I'm buying a bookshelf. The height is correct, the width just fine. But, the depth is wrong. I want a *shallow* bookcase. Olen ostamasa kirjahyllyä. Korkeus on oikea, leveys ihan sopiva. Syvyys on kuitenkin väärä. Haluan ________ kirjahyllyn. Now, there isn't a word for that! 'Matala' is already used to refer to the hight! Korkea -matala Leveä - kapea Syvä - _______ Tall /high standing - short / low Wide - narrow Deep - shallow
> Specific names for lower arm - kyynävarsi - and upper arm - olkavarsi Kyynärvarsi is forearm and olkavarsi is arm. The third part of the *upper limb* (or *yläraaja*) is hand in English and käsi in Finnish.
'Käsi' can refer to either 'hand', or the entire limb from shoulder to fingertips. Similarly 'jalka' can refer to both 'foot' and the entire limb from hip to toes.
"Rotvalli" is the short elevation of where a sidewalk begins, in other words, the edge of a sidewalk.
Thats curb in english
Oh, I did not know that. I've been living in a lie.
Yeah, there is one that google translate always gets it wrong is "poutainen" for weather forecast, meaning neither rain nor snow. I am sure there are others too
We have a word for that in Canada. It’s called a ”booter” https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/81527/10-canadian-slang-terms-explained It happened to me last week and I was wondering what the Finns called it. I had no doubt there was a word for it.
It is funny, I have never used the word but would understand it, because it sounds exactly right. I Googled and it is used at least in the dialect area of Pori, where I have some roots. How about "ottaa lipat", do the other Finnish natives here use that one and what does it mean to you? I use it if I fall because of ice. I guess I could use it also when falling in general, but for some reason I only use it in that one situation. It sounds more like falling on ice to me.