mars

Probably borrowed from German marsch!, French marche!, or alternatively and less likely, an irregular imperative form of marssia (compare seis < seistä).


ai

Compare Estonian ai, Ingrian ai, Karelian ai, Ludian ai, Veps ai, Votic ai, and Swedish aj, Norwegian aj, Latvian aj. Perhaps natural; tracing an origin is practically impossible.

Ai, se olitkin sinä!

"Käytkö kaupassa?" "Ai, ruokakaupassa?"

"Will you go to the shop?" "Oh, the food shop?"

(colloquial, interrogative particle) Oh? As in...?


moro

Likely from Swedish morgon, morron (compare Swedish god morgon).

Hello, hi (used when meeting, sometimes when parting).


alas

From Proto-Finnic *alas. Equivalent to ala- (“lower, under”) + -s (s-lative singular).

suffix

Alas rikolliset!

(followed by a nominative) down with (e.g. in demonstrations)


put

(onomatopoeia) putt, imitating the sound of a low speed internal combustion engine, usually repeated at least twice: put, put.


stop

stop (end-of-sentence indicator in telegrams)


aa

Either crosslinguistic or borrowed from any of the many European languages it appears in.

oh, ah (expression of recognition, realization, understanding, etc.)


aha

Like ah (to which it is somehow related), tracing an exact origin is impossible. Probably ultimately a natural expression.

onomatopoeic

natural expression

uh-huh (indicates that the speaker agrees or is simply still listening)


ah

Found in a wide variety of languages, including but not limited to Estonian ah, Ingrian ah, Karelian ah, Ludian ah, Veps ah, Votic ah, Hungarian ah, Swedish ah, German ah, English ah, Latin ah. Tracing an exact origin is effectively impossible. Probably ultimately involuntary or natural.


huh

phew (used to show relief, fatigue, or surprise)


hm

hm (expressing confusion, annoyance, etc.)


ho

Compare Karelian ho. An interjection that is found in many languages.


voi

From Proto-Finnic *voi (compare Ingrian voi, Karelian voi, Livonian võih, Ludian voi, Veps voi).

Alternative form: voe (dialectal)

Voi ei!

Voi hyvä Luoja!

Voi helvetti!

Voi vittu! / Voi perkele! / Voi saatana!

Voi hitto! / Voi hurja!

Voi kiesus!

Voi sentään!

oh, bloody, damn, too (used as intensifier before expletives, mild and vulgar alike)

Voi sinua!


ei

The indicative forms are from Proto-Finnic *e-, from Proto-Uralic *e- ~ *ä- ~ *a- (negative verb stem). The imperative forms are from Proto-Finnic *älä-, from the Proto-Finno-Ugric negative imperative verb stem *älä-.
Details and cognates
Noteworthy forms include eivät (pro earlier evät, reformed after ei). For more forms, see the Proto-Finnic and Proto-Uralic pages.
Cognates for the indicative forms include Estonian ei, Karelian ei, Livonian ä’b, Veps ei, Northern Sami ii, Skolt Sami ij, Erzya а- (a-), э- (e-), и- (i-), Eastern Mari ы- (y-), Udmurt уг (ug), Komi-Zyrian оз (oz), Northern Mansi [script needed] (ä-), Forest Enets [script needed] (i-) and Northern Selkup [script needed] (aša) (Taz). Cognates for the imperative forms include Estonian ära, Northern Sami ale, Kildin Sami ель (jel’), Erzya иля (iľa).
Not related to Swedish ej, Icelandic ei, Old Norse eigi, despite the similarity; the Finnic and Norse terms are false cognates.

Onko hauki lintu? Ei, se on kala.

no (used to show disagreement, negation, denial, refusal, or prohibition)


se

here you go; an encouragement to take something, usually something that is being handed over.

an encouragement to an animal to eat (food)


hop

Either a clipping of hoppu, or directly from Swedish hopp (“jump”). Consider also the synonym hopoti (“horse”).

1913 SKVR VIII 1625. Piikkiö. Häyrinen Kalle 8. 13.
Hop humma Huttalaan, / parastelle Pappilaa, / Pappilasta Koroissii, / Koroissista Käräjiin,

1913 SKVR IX1 352. Renko. Salo Aukusti. HO 24 239. 13.
Mee ny kuultaan kirkonkellot. / Muut kuulee karjan kellot / Hop tamma / Ei ilman haluta / Jos ei poika likkaa taluta.

1915 SKVR XIV 1026. Myrskylä. Salminen, T. 117. 15.
Hop hoppa kirkkoo! / Aja mummun aitan etee / Saat voitakaakkuu

Hop horse to church / Run to the front of grandmother's granary ...


just

Just. Se oli sitten siinä.

Oh well, I guess that's it for that then.


hus

Related to Karelian huš. Probably also somehow akin to Germanic words (all dialectal): Swedish huss, German huss, English huss.


kyllä

From Proto-Finnic *küllä. Cognates include Estonian küll, Ingrian kyl, Karelian kyllä, Livonian ki’l, Veps külläine (“content, fat”) and Votic küll. Also related to Northern Sami galˈle. The adverb developed from the noun, while the interjection developed from the adverb, perhaps under Germanic influence (see usage notes).


ajatella

/ˈɑjɑtelːɑˣ/

[ˈɑ̝jɑ̝ˌt̪e̞lːɑ̝(ʔ)]

ajattaa + -ella, derived from ajattaa like ajatus, as well as aate and aatos through dialectal forms. While the exact development from a verb meaning "to drive; chase" to senses related to thinking is not entirely clear, one possibility is that they are figurative uses of some dialectal senses of ajattaa, particularly "to chase, hunt" and "to follow a trail", hinting at a "to chase, hunt, follow a trail to hunt an animal" → "to chase a thought, try to recall" → "to think (about)".

to think (that). An expression of confusion, surprise or thoughtfulness.


alias

Hautakiviä kaatui ja ihmiset talloivat hautoja. Kirill ja pikkuveli Georgij alias Ykä päättivät, että sama ei tapahdu enää ikinä.

2020 September 22, Raila Kinnunen, “70 vuotta Kirkan syntymästä: 'Poismennyttä ihmistä voi ajatella ilolla – Lähtijällä on nyt hyvä olla, hänellä ei ole hätää, ei kipua eikä tuskaa'”, in Apu:

Headstones fell and people trampled on the graves. Kirill and his little brother Georgij alias Ykä decided that such a thing would never happen again.

alias, AKA (used to introduce an alternative name)


kissa vieköön

[ˈk̟is̠ːɑ̝ ˈʋie̞k̟ø̞ːn]


terve

From Proto-Finnic *terveh, possibly a very old loanword from Indo-Iranian, in which case it has the same origin as Avestan 𐬛𐬆𐬭𐬆𐬎𐬎𐬁 (dərəuuā, “healthy”). Derivation from terva (“tar”) is unlikely due to semantically weak explanation.


seis

Originally the second-person singular imperative of seistä — the meaning "stand" has turned into "stop". Having been used as such an established interjection, this is generally no longer considered a verb form.


bravo

[ˈbrɑ̝ˈʋo̞(ː)]


kot

(onomatopoeia, usually repeated) cluck (sound made by hen)


terse

Humorous form of terve, possibly influenced by perse.


moi

From Low German; see German Low German moin. Has also been compared with moro, suggesting a connection with Swedish morgon, but this is now considered unlikely.


vittu

From Proto-Norse. Compare Swedish fitta and Old Norse fytta. Cognate to Estonian vitt, Ingrian vittu, and Veps vitõińe.


oi

Estonian language
Ingrian language
Karelian language
Latvian language
Ludian language
Russian language
Swedish language
Veps language
Votic language

Similar interjections can be found in other Finnic languages (compare Estonian oi, Ingrian oi, Karelian oi, Ludian oi, Veps oi, Votic oi) and neighboring Indo-European languages (Swedish oj, Latvian oi, Russian ой).

Oi Herra!

oh (to express surprise, wonder, amazement or awe)


hep

Perhaps originally used with horses (in the sense "giddyup"), in which case possibly a shortening of hepo; compare also hop.

used as a generic interjection to express desire or surprise or to attract attention to what is said after


vau

Borrowed from English wow. Probably originally slang; used at least since the 1970s.


vau

(often repeated) Synonym of hau (“bark, woof”)


muu

(onomatopoeia) moo (a sound made by a cow)


hmm

Commonly found in many languages. Probably imitative.


kippis

kipp- + -is, from German die Gläser kippen (“knock back the glasses”, literally “tilt the glasses”).

der

Kippis sille!


heh

(onomatopoeia) heh (short chuckle or laugh)


ui

Alternative form of oi (“oh”) (to express surprise, wonder, amazement or awe)


ha-ha

ha-ha, haha (onomatopoeic representation of laughter)


perse

From Proto-Finnic *persek, possibly a derivative of root found in perä.

Voi perse!


sento

Clipping of asento (“attention, ten-hut”).


öö

öö, tuota...


tuku

(often repeated) Used to call sheep (to move towards the speaker).


ohi

miss! (used like an interjection to indicate that a shot missed the target)


mo

(slang, colloquial) Clipping of moi (“hi, hello”).


hei

From Proto-Finnic *hei (compare Estonian hei, Ingrian hei, Karelian hei, Ludian hei, Veps hei). Compare also Old Norse hei (whence Swedish hej) and English hey.


iik

Iik! Hiiri!


auts

Probably a natural exclamation, but compare German autsch.

Auts! Se sattuu.


hyi

Ultimately from the onomatopoeia for spitting (like pthyi), but perhaps at least partially from Swedish fyi, fy.

onomatopoeic

onomatopoeia


oho

oops, whoops-a-daisy (acknowledgment of minor mistake)

wow, whoa, oh, ooh, ay, chihuahua (an indication of excitement or surprise)


vuh

(onomatopoeia) woof, the sound a barking dog makes


hoi

Compare Estonian hoi, Ingrian hoi, Karelian hoi, Ludian hoi, and also Swedish hoj, Dutch hoi, English hoy. An interjection that is found in many languages.

hoi te siellä!


viis

Possibly from the numeral viisi (“five”), but it is not known why exactly this numeral. A somehow similar use is found in Swedish sju (“seven”), in the expression jag bryr mig sju (“I don't care at all”, literally “I care seven”).

Viis siitä!

Sataa. Siitä viis! Menen silti ulos.

It's raining. I don't care! I'll go out anyway.

Only used in viis veisata (“to not give a damn”)


böö

Alternative form of pöö: boo! (exclamation intended to scare someone)


perkele

From Proto-Finnic *perkeleh, which derives from the name of the Baltic deity of thunder; compare Lithuanian Perkūnas and Proto-Slavic *Perunъ (“god of thunder”). After Finland's conquest (c. 1250) and subsequent Christianization, its meaning changed to a profanity and a euphemism for Satan at least partly due to the influence of the clergy. Erzya пурьгине (puŕgińe, “thunder”) is from the same Baltic source.

Perkele, se on hidas!


jaa

Borrowed from Old Swedish ia, iā (“yes”) (compare Swedish ja).

Jaa, enpä tiedä...

oh (when the speaker is surprised about something that s/he got to know; this has a slight nuance of the speaker being more or less interested in getting more information about it)


hau

arf, bark, woof (the sound a barking dog makes)


hui

Related to Karelian hui. Possibly onomatopoeic, but may also be borrowed. Compare Swedish huj, German hui.

oh! (an exclamation when scared or startled)


jes

Alternative form: jess

yes! (used to express pleasure, joy, or great excitement)


kato

A dialectal or colloquial 2nd person imperative present of katsoa (“to look”). The corresponding infinitive is kattoa.

Se on kato sillä lailla.

Kato nääs! or Kato kato!

Literally: Look, look!. Uttered in surprise, not necessarily telling anyone to look anywhere.

Kato nääs, säkin olet saapunut paikalle.

Lo and behold, you have arrived on the scene, too.

...kato nääs. or ...kato.


kupla

From Proto-Finnic *kupla, probably from Proto-Finno-Ugric *kupla. Related to Estonian kubel, Southern Sami gåbloe (“lung”), Karelian kupla, Livvi kubl and probably Inari Sami koble (“roe pouch”), Eastern Mari кувыл (kuvyl, “bubbles on the water surface, due to rain”) and Southern Mansi [script needed] (kɛ̮wl-, “to swim, to float”), possibly also Hungarian hólyag (“bladder”).

cog

snap, jinx (used after the same thing is said by two people simultaneously)


puff

poof (deflating object or a magical disappearance)


naps

Vinski laski kätensä varovaisesti veteen, lähestyi sormet harallaan nahkiaista ja naps!

1963, Yrjö A. Jäntti, Martti Haavio, Suomen sana: kansalliskirjallisuutemme valiolukemisto: Volume 1:

Vinski carefully lowered his hand into the water, approached the lamprey with his fingers open, and yoink!

yoink; sound of something being snatched or grabbed


sus

Sus siunatkoon!

oh; used only in the expression shown in the example below


kyyl

Elongated form of kyl, a dialectal or colloquial form of kyllä.


paska

From Proto-Finnic *paska, from Proto-Finno-Ugric *pućka (with irregular vowel development). Cognate with Estonian pask, Northern Sami baika, Erzya пскиземс (pskiźems, “to have diarrhea”), Eastern Mari пушкедаш (puškedaš, “to defecate”), Hungarian fos.

Voi paskat! Unohdin maksaa parkkisakon.

Oh, shit! I forgot to pay that parking ticket.


MOT

Short for mikä oli todistettava = mikä (“what”) + oli (“was”) + todistettava (“to be proven”)

quod erat demonstrandum
quod erat demonstrandum#English

(mathematics) QED, quod erat demonstrandum


maar

Clipping of Maaria, a vernacular form of Maria (“Mary, mother of Jesus Christ”).

(Turku region) Used as fortifier after e.g. words kyllä (“yes”), totta (“true”).


helvetti

→ Ingrian: helvetti


soo

From Swedish så (usually repeated like in Finnish, så-så).

Soo soo, ei vielä.

(often repeated) tsk, tut-tut (expression of disapproval or holding back)


niin

The instructive plural form of ne (“they (things and animals)”).

Kotonako se tapahtui? –Niin.
Was it home where it happened? –Yes.

yes, yeah (especially when asked to confirm something)

right (either indicating agreement or having no opinion)


halvattu

[ˈhɑ̝lʋɑ̝t̪ːu]

/ˈhɑlʋɑtːuˣ/

[ˈhɑ̝lʋɑ̝t̪ːu(ʔ)]

halvata + -ttu (past passive participle)


nääs

Dialectal form of näe (second-person singular imperative of nähdä (“to see”)) + -s (clitic).

Se on nääs sillä lailla.

(Tampere, Southern Pirkanmaa) General intensifier akin to English see. (singular imperative)


älä

(colloquial) wow, really? (expressing positive surprise)

Elokuva oli ihan hillitön! — Älä!

(colloquial, indicates agreement on the preceding statement) tell me about it! I know, right?

(colloquial, sarcastic) you don't say, (oh) really?


vois

Tuukko myöhemmin kylille? —Vois.

Are you coming downtown later? —Why not.

Kyllä teidän pitäisi jo käydä koronatestissä. —Vois.

You guys should go take a Covid test already. —Sure.

sure, why not; indicates agreement to an action in the first-person singular or plural


tässä

Ostaisin litran mansikoita. – Tässä.
I would like to buy a litre of strawberries. – Here you are.


kiitos

From Proto-Finnic *kiit'os, equivalent to kiittää (“to thank”) + -os.

kiitos paljon

Kiitos hyvästä työstä!


kis

kis kis, kippurahäntä
here, kitty, kitty, "curly-tail"


kyynel

From Proto-Finnic *küünel, from Proto-Uralic *küńele. Cognates include Karelian kyynäl, Northern Sami ganjal, Hungarian könny.

No, voi kyynel!

(sarcastic) used as a sarcastic response to someone's situation, usually one that is being overly exaggerated.


kas

From the imperative katso! (“look!”), from katsoa (“to look”).

Kas, onpa sinulla suuret hampaat!

Kas vain, onpa poika kasvanut!

look!, oh!, my!, behold! (used as expression of surprise, often accompanied with -pa -suffix in the verb used to explain the reason for astonishment)

Kas, asia on niin, että...


saatana

[ˈs̠ɑ̝ːt̪ɑ̝nɑ̝]


noh

Synonym of no (“well”) (especially before a phrase or when expressing exasperation)


vaara

Borrowed from Late Old Swedish fahra, fara (compare Swedish fara), itself from Middle Low German vāre, from Proto-Germanic *fērō (“danger”). Cognate with Dutch gevaar, German Gefahr.


naiset

[ˈnɑ̝i̯s̠e̞t̪]

ladies (used to mark toilets and similar installations to be for women only)


miehet

gentlemen (used to mark toilets and similar installations to be for men only)


sääli

Borrowed from Russian жаль (žalʹ). First mention in a dictionary was in the 1770s.

Sääli, että auto hajosi.


moikka

[ˈmo̞i̯kːɑ̝]


paskanmarjat

[ˈpɑ̝s̠kɑ̝mˌmɑ̝rjɑ̝t̪]


loppu

From Proto-Finnic *loppu. Equivalent to (dialectal) loppi (“(inside) corner, nook”) + -u or (dialectal) loppea (“to finish”) + -u.

(radio) out (the station is finished with its transmission and does not expect a response)


no

Similar interjections can be found in other Finnic languages (compare Estonian no, noh, Ingrian no, Karelian no, Livonian no, noh, Ludian no, Votic no) and possibly also in other Uralic languages (compare Komi-Zyrian но (no), Udmurt но (no)). Compare also to those found in neighboring Indo-European languages (such as Swedish nå, Latvian nu, Russian ну (nu)), which may all trace back as far as Proto-Indo-European *nu. SSA concludes that the interjection is probably part original and part foreign.

Alternative form: noh

No sepä mukavaa!

No kai meidän sitten pitää käydä katsomassa.

No, mikset mennyt juhliin?

Siellä oli, no, aika tylsää.

No, et sinä nyt noin voi käyttäytyä!

well! (to acknowledge a situation; encouragement to answer or react; expressing the overcoming of reluctance to say something; exclamation of indignance)


kvaak

Onomatopoeic, but perhaps from Swedish kvack.


tulta

[ˈt̪ul̪t̪ɑ̝]


näkemiin

Literally "until we see/meet again"; the illative plural of the 3rd infinitive näkemä- of nähdä (“to see”); thus, more literally, "to seeings", "until seeings"; compare Swedish på återseende, German auf Wiedersehen, French au revoir, Italian arrivederci.


nähdään

nähdään myöhemmin

nähdään pian

nähdään taas


tervetuloa

[ˈt̪e̞rʋe̞t̪̚ˌt̪ulo̞ɑ̝]

(when greeting) welcome, great to see you, nice you could come

looking forward to seeing you
looking forward to seeing you

(after having arranged a visit) looking forward to seeing you

(when inviting someone) Would you like to visit us? It'd be nice to have you over sometime. (Please) come again! (only by salespeople:) (Please) call again!


hyvästi

From hyvä (“good”) + -sti. In the sense "farewell", an ellipsis of jää hyvästi, jääkää hyvästi (literally “remain well”).


jumalauta

[ˈjumɑ̝ˌlɑ̝u̯t̪ɑ̝]

[ˈjumɑ̝lˌɑ̝u̯t̪ɑ̝]

Univerbation of Jumala + auta. Literally, “God, help(!)”, possibly originally a minced oath. Compare jumankauta.


tjaa

Variant of jaa. Compare similar pairs in North Germanic languages, especially Swedish ja (“yes”), tja (“well…”).


sori

Synonym of anteeksi (“sorry; excuse me”).


saakeli

[ˈs̠ɑ̝ːk̟e̞li]

Minced form of saatana, possibly influenced by perkele.


anteeksi

[ˈɑ̝n̪t̪e̞ːks̠i]

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.


abrakadabra

[ˈɑ̝brɑ̝kɑ̝ˌdɑ̝brɑ̝]

abracadabra (used by performing magician to indicate the moment of performing a magical trick or illusion)


olkoon

fine (expression of reluctant agreement)


vaikka

[ˈʋɑ̝i̯kːɑ̝]

From Proto-Finnic *vaikka, possibly from *vai. Related to Ingrian vaikka, Karelian vaikka and Votic vaikkõ.

I guess, why not (used to reservedly accept a suggestion)


sovittu

Tarjoan sinulle tästä pyörästä satasen. -Sovittu!

I offer to you one hundred for this bicycle. -Agreed!


pahoittelut

[ˈpɑ̝ɦo̞i̯t̪̚ˌt̪e̞lut̪]


pah

Compare French bah. Possibly reinforced by paha.


ritirati

Of a crackling sound, especially that caused by thin ice crackling under one's feet.


muikku

mui- + -kku; a diminutive derivation of muja-, from which muikea and muje are also derived.


viheltää

[ˈʋiɦe̞l̪t̪æː]

(military) Shouted when the whistling sound of a falling bomb is heard, used to command infantry to get down in order to shield their body against the explosion.


aivan

An instructive singular (compare ihan) of a root aiva-, from Proto-Finnic *aiva-, probably borrowed from Proto-Indo-Iranian *Háywas, or alternatively from Proto-Germanic *aiwaz (“long time”). Cognate with Votic aiva (“always”) and Estonian aiva (“always”).


tuota

[ˈt̪uo̞̯t̪ɑ̝]

* (interjection): From the partitive singular of tuo. Demonstrative pronouns developing into words used to fill pauses is found across the world's languages: examples include Russian это (eto) (from э́тот (étot)), Spanish este and Japanese あのう (anō) (from あの (ano)).

filled pause; well, uhh (especially at the beginning of an utterance)


paikka

[ˈpɑ̝i̯kːɑ̝]

From Proto-Finnic *paikka (compare Estonian paik and Votic paikkõ), probably borrowed from Proto-Germanic *spaikǭ (compare English spoke).


vietävä

[ˈʋie̞̯t̪æʋæ]


selvä

From Proto-Finnic *selvä. Related to Ingrian selvä, Karelian selvä and Kukkuzi selvä.

Selvä, mennäänpä sitten.

all right, OK (used to affirm, indicate agreement, or consent).


kunpa

Kunpa minulla olisi rahaa!

Milloin pääsemme täältä pois? – Kunpa tietäisin!
When do we get away from here? – I wish I knew!


juma

ui juma


totta

[ˈt̪o̞t̪ːɑ̝]

Laura on hyvä kokki. -Totta!


reps

Shortened from repesin nauruun (literally “I ruptured into a laugh”).


käy

Valot, kamera, käy!


ahaa

aha, oh, I see (exclamation of understanding, realization, invention, or recognition)


uraa

Finnish transliteration of a Russian battle cry.


hevonvitunperse

hevonvitun (“horse's cunt's”) + perse (“ass”)

com

Voi hevonvitunperse! Sinun syysi, että ajoin vuokra-auton ojaan!

Oh, goddamn fucking cunt! It's all your fault that I drove the rented car into a ditch!


kukkokiekuu

Onomatopoeic, but also has a literal meaning "the cock crows", from kukko (“cock”) and kiekuu, third person singular present indicative of kiekua (“to crow; make a cock-a-doodle-doo”).


asento

[ˈɑ̝s̠e̞n̪t̪o̞]

(military) attention, ten-hut (command to bring soldiers to attention)


harmi

Borrowed from Swedish harm (ultimately from Proto-Germanic *harmaz (“harm; shame; pain”) whence also Estonian härm).

der

Harmi, että et pääse juhliimme tänään.

What a pity you can't attend our party tonight.

[what a] pity[!], what a shame[!], it's a pity, it's a shame, too bad!


äh

argh (expression of annoyance, anger or frustration)


epistä

(teen slang) Used to express discontent based on a feeling that a decision, statement, state of affairs etc. is unjust.


hys

Compare Swedish hysch, Possibly a borrowing, or of the same onomatopoeic origin.


ehei

Ehei, olet väärässä!

Luulin heidän jo lopettaneen, mutta ehei, he eivät olleet edes aloittaneet!

I thought they had already finished, but no, they hadn't even started!


halleluja

[ˈhɑ̝lːe̞ˌlujɑ̝]

הַלְּלוּיָהּ


apua

Apua, en tiedä enää mitä sanoisin!

Oh God, I don't know what to say anymore!


hiljaa

From Proto-Finnic *hiljada, the partitive singular of *hilja (whence dialectal hilja).


piekana

[ˈpie̞̯kɑ̝nɑ̝]

From a Sami language, compare Northern Sami biehkan, from Proto-Samic *piekkënjë.


vauhtia

[ˈʋɑ̝u̯xt̪iɑ̝]


kuuntelen

(radio) over (end of sentence in radio communication)


höh

An exclamation or expression of concern, or resentment about a problem or error.

Used to express anger, contempt, disappointment or similar emotions.


kappas

[ˈkɑ̝pːɑ̝s̠]


tahdon

I do (a traditional phrase said upon acceptance of marriage)


senkin

Senkin idiootti!


tassun

[ˈt̪ɑ̝s̠ːun]


hetkinen

Hetkinen!


aamen

From Biblical Hebrew אמן (amén, “certainly, truly”).


muks

(onomatopoeia) The sound of somebody falling over.


tota

space filler or pause during conversation


tää

Variant of tämä, which is an extension of a monosyllabic stem *tä- from which the genitive form is directly derived. The long vowel in the nominative form could be by analogy with the diphthong in tuo and toi (both from *too) and/or the adverbs täällä, täältä, or it could simply be a reduction of the medial -m-.

(Internet slang) Indicates agreement with something someone else said or wrote.


vitut

fuck it! (expression of great indifference or nonchalance; expression of frustration; expression of anger or dismissal)

(usually ja ~) bullshit! (expression of disbelief to someone's claims)


hoosianna

[ˈho̞ːs̠iˌɑ̝nːɑ̝]

From Swedish hosianna, from German hosianna, ultimately from Biblical Hebrew הוֹשַׁע נָא.


haloo

hello (greeting used when answering the telephone; call for response if it is not clear if anyone is present or listening; also used sarcastically)

Hei haloo, et sä nyt noin voi tehdä.

(colloquial) come on (used to express disapproval of or exasperation for what someone has said or done)


onneksi olkoon

onneksi olkoon ! (canonical)
"may [it] be for luck!" (literally)


helkutti

Minced oath for helvetti; compare helkatti.


helkkari

Minced oath version of helvetti (“hell”). See also + -ari.


hemmetti

Minced oath version of helvetti (“hell”). Possibly inspired by dialectal himmerkki.


onnea

Onnea huomiseen!

congratulations (used to laud someone for their actions)


häh

Related to Karelian häh. Possibly from the last syllable of mitä.


häh

Häh häh, se oli sinulle oikein!

ha (expression of mean-spirited laughter)


ää

Ää, en haluu!

(childish) Expression of dislike, refusal, disapproval, slight disgust, rejection, suspicion, etc.


mahtavaa

[ˈmɑ̝xt̪ɑ̝ʋɑ̝ː]


uskomatonta

[ˈus̠ko̞mɑ̝ˌt̪o̞n̪t̪ɑ̝]


hyh

ugh, yuck, phew (used to express disgust)


hokkuspokkus

Internationalism (see English hocus-pocus)


eläköön

[ˈe̞læk̟ø̞ːn]


syömään

[ˈs̠yø̞̯mæːn]

dinner's ready! (invitation to come eat food that is now ready to eat)


hyvää päivänjatkoa

hyvää (“good”) + päivänjatkoa (“rest of the day”)


hohhoijaa

ho-hum (used to express boredom, disinterest or lack of novelty)


jukra

One of the many euphemistic minced variants of jumalauta, like jukolauta.


pahus

dang, darn, damn, blimey, drat, rats (a mild curse)


nähkääs

[ˈnæhk̟æːs̠]


näät

Siinäs näät, olin oikeassa!


kuitti

Borrowed from Swedish kvitt, kvitto (“receipt”).


aijai

[ˈɑ̝i̯j(ː)ɑ̝i̯]


höpö-höpö

/ˈhøpøˌhøpø/

[ˈhø̞pø̞ˌhø̞pø̞]

nonsense, pish posh, tosh, shut up (An emphatic rejection of something one has just heard)


haista vittu

[ˈhɑ̝i̯s̠tɑ̝ʋ ˈʋit̪ːu]


pitäkää hauskaa

[ˈpit̪æk̟æː ˈhɑ̝us̠kɑ̝ː]


haista paska

[ˈhɑ̝i̯s̠tɑ̝p̚ ˈpɑ̝s̠kɑ̝]


kraak

Coordinate term: kvaak (the sound of duck)

Alternative form: krääk

croak, caw (the sound of a raven or a crow)


huom.

Huom.! Lipunmyynti loppuu klo 18.

Please note that the ticket box will close at 6 p.m.!

please note, N.B., NB (used to draw the attention of the reader to an important point)


yhtä mieltä

< olla yhtä mieltä (literally “to be of one mind”); yhtä (“of one”) + mieltä (“mind”)

Täysin yhtä mieltä!


hitsi

Irregular affective derivation from hiisi.


pitkästä aikaa

long time no see; it has been a long time


permanto

From Proto-Finnic *përmanto. Cognates include Estonian põrand (“floor”), Livonian pȭrand (“floor”) and Votic põrmata (“floor”) (Mati). Also related to Northern Sami bearpmet.

a mild expletive, alliterative euphemism for perkele


hei hei

[ˈhé̞i̯ ˈhè̞i̯]


heippa

[ˈhe̞i̯pːɑ̝]


helskutti

Minced oath for helvetti; compare helkutti.


hiivatti

[ˈhiːʋɑ̝t̪ːi]

A minced form of helvetti, perhaps inspired by hiisi.


helkatti

Minced oath for helvetti, possibly a blend of helkkari + helvetti.


heko

Back-formation from hekottaa (“to guffaw”).

bf

har har, hardy har har (false laughter with a sarcastic connotation)


kappas vain

Kappas vain, slummikoira haukkuu.


samperi

dang, darn, damn, blimey, drat (a mild curse)


kehveli

dang, darn, blimey, drat, phooey (a mild curse)


saamari

[ˈs̠ɑ̝ːmɑ̝ri]

Possibly from Santa Maria in prayers; in any case a euphemism for saatana.


Pohjanmaan kautta

Literally, “via Pohjanmaa/Ostrobothnia”; a phrase using Pohjanmaa (“Ostrobothnia”) as a roundabout way to refer to pohja (“bottom”).
A story regarding this phrase is that it is a reference to the Finnish Civil War (1918). To prepare for a war of independence, a few thousand supporters of the independence movement received military training in Germany. They became to be called jääkäri (“Jager”). According to the story, after the war, it became customary to propose a toast by asking "mistä jääkärit tulivat? (“Where did the Jagers come from?”)", and to this one was supposed to answer "Pohjanmaan kautta (“via Ostrobothnia”)" (as they are said to have infiltrated back to Finland via Ostrobothnia) and then the glasses were emptied to the bottom, and that over time the question has become unnecessary. However, this story may be apocryphal.


nimenomaan

From nimen (“of name”) omaan (“in(to) its own”), "in(to) its own name", later "as the name states" and simply "actually, in actuality".

absolutely!, definitely! (expression of agreement with another speaker)


sentään

[ˈs̠e̞n̪t̪æːn]

Voi sentään!

Hyvä isä sentään!


herranjestas

[ˈhe̞rːɑ̝nˌje̞s̠tɑ̝s̠]

From Herra (“Lord”) and Jeesus (“Jesus”).


voi ei

voi (“oh”) + ei (“no”). Probably a calque of English oh no


riviin järjesty

riviin (“to the rank”) järjesty (“take position”)

(military) fall in! (command to move into formation)


hertsileijaa

Voi hertsileijaa sentään, iha kauheeta.


tervemenoa

terve (“well, healthy”) + menoa (“going”); formed according to tervetuloa (“welcome”)

compound

Näkemiin ja tervemenoa!

good riddance (indicates that a departure, or loss is welcome)


onnenpekka

[ˈo̞nːe̞mˌpe̞kːɑ̝]


hau hau

/ˈhɑu̯ˌhɑu̯/

[ˈhɑ̝u̯ˌhɑ̝u̯]


yläfemma

[ˈylæˌfe̞mːɑ̝]

ylä- (“upper, high”) + femma (“five”); calque of English high five

gimme a five, give me five, slap me five


ei se mitään

Olen pahoillani. — Ei se mitään.

no problem, it's nothing, it was nothing, no worries, it's all right, that's OK (no apology is necessary)


tattis

[ˈt̪ɑ̝t̪ːis̠]

From Swedish tack + -is. Compare Swedish grattis.

Tattista vaan!


niinpä

– Elämä sen kun kallistuu. – Niinpä!
– Life just keeps getting more expensive. – Indeed!


paskat

[ˈpɑ̝s̠kɑ̝t̪]

bullshit! (expression of disbelief to someone's claims)

fuck it! (expression of great indifference or nonchalance; expression of frustration; expression of anger or dismissal)


roskaa

[ˈro̞s̠kɑ̝ː]

rubbish (expresses that what was recently said is untruth or nonsense)


kiitoksia

[ˈk̟iːt̪o̞kˌs̠iɑ̝]


varokaa

[ˈʋɑ̝ro̞kɑ̝ː]

watch out! (polite or to more than one person)


jatkakaa

[ˈjɑ̝t̪kɑ̝kɑ̝ː]


poistu

(military, Finland) Command for soldiers to immediately move somewhere quickly; always with a qualifier which determines where, see e.g. taakse poistu.


jessus

Jessus, kuka tuotakin tolloa on äänestänyt!

Jesus, who has ever voted for that jerk!


tä

what? huh? (exclamation used to express stupefaction or failure to understand somebody else's words)


voihan

[ˈʋo̞i̯ɦɑ̝n]

Voihan perkele!

Used in front of a swearword as fortifier.

Voihan...

Sometimes used alone to convey the message without actually swearing.


liikkumatta

[ˈliːkːuˌmɑ̝t̪ːɑ̝]


jooko

joo (“yes”) + -ko (“interrogative clitic”)

suffix

Lähdetään illalla elokuviin, jooko!

Let's go to the movies tonight - please!

Laita hanskat käteen, jooko!

Used as fortifier after a suggestion or similar; English equivalent might be please, will you, shall we etc.


huhuu

Probably akin to huhu; compare huhuilla. Compare also English yoo-hoo.

hello (call for response if it is not clear if anyone is present or listening)


paikoillanne

Paikoillanne, valmiina, nyt!

ready, steady, go
ready, steady, go#English

(sports) ready; on your mark; on your marks (first part of the command phrase ready, steady, go! and/or its varoants)


sipu

(often repeated) Used to call cows (to move towards the speaker).


entä sitten

– Ensi menemme uimaan ja sen jälkeen saunomaan. – Entä sitten?
– First we will go swimming and then to the sauna. – What about after that?

Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see entä, sitten.


apuva

[ˈɑ̝(ː)pu(ː)ʋɑ̝]

Coined by Aake Kalliala and Pirkka-Pekka Petelius in their TV-sketch Pulttibois in 1989.


hox

Clipping of hoksaa (“take note”). Compare huom.


kissan viikset

Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see kissan viikset ("cat's whiskers").

rubbish, nonsense (expresses that what was recently said is untruth or nonsense)


peeveli

A minced form of pyöveli, probably influenced by variants of perkele.


samaa mieltä

< olla samaa mieltä (literally “to be of the same mind”); samaa (“same”) + mieltä (“mind”)

Punaisen lihan kulutusta pitäisi rajoittaa. --Samaa mieltä!

Consumption of red meat should be reduced. --I agree!


terveydeksi

bless you, gesundheit (said to someone who has sneezed)


hölökynkölökyn

[ˈhø̞lø̞k̟yŋˌk̟ø̞lø̞k̟yn]


kopoti

used to imitate the sound of horse's hooves when they hit the ground


jessör

[ˈje̞s̠ːø̞r]

yessir (used to express assent, especially to a superior)


ylävitonen

ylä- (“upper, superior, high”) + vitonen (“dialectal form of viitonen - a five”); calque of English high five

prefix

gimme a five, give me five, slap me five!


moi moi

[ˈmó̞i̯ ˈmò̞i̯]


ei kai

Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see ei, kai. "probably not", "I guess not"

Kuulin, että tämän iltainen esitys haluttiin peruuttaa. -- Ei kai!

I heard they wanted to cancel the show tonight. -- Not even!

(colloquial) not even (used to express strong disbelief, disappointment or disapproval)

Alternative form: no ei kai

Ei kai tänään ole maanantai.


nii

Pronunciation spelling
pronunciation spelling


pthyi

Imitative, but may also have foreign influence (see hyi).


ööh

Ööh, kuka tuo oli?

Hän oli menossa, ööh… kokoukseen, luulisin.

She was going to, erm… the meeting, I think.

uh, erm, um (expression of confusion or uncertainty)


ätsih

Alternative form of atsii (“achoo (sound of a sneeze)”)


ääh

argh (expression of annoyance, anger or frustration)


äikkis

From the same root as äikistellä (in Ostrobothnia also äikkistellä).

(Ostrobothnia) nyah, nyah-nyah (expression of schadenfreude)


ähäkutti

[ˈæɦæˌkut̪ːi]


ähäpiti

[ˈæɦæˌpit̪i]

< äh, hähä and piti (like in niin piti(kin) käydä (“as should have happened”))


lällätilää

[ˈlælːæˌt̪ilæː]


kutti

Unknown. Karelian kutti is probably borrowed from Finnish. Found especially in the dialects in Savonia as well as North and Central Ostrobothnia.


hellurei

Seemingly an extension of hei, although a foreign source as inspiration is not impossible.

Hellurei, nyt juhlitaan!

yippee, hurrah (used to express joy of life and excitement)


ei kun

Shortened from ei muuta kuin (“nothing else but”).

Kaikki on valmista. Ei kun grillaamaan!

Everything is ready. And now, let's grill!


tseh

Unknown. Through the dialectal variant se (when handing something over), this has been connected with the pronoun se, although not with any certainty.

Tseh, tseh, tule tänne!


paikoillenne

Paikoillenne, valmiina, nyt!

(sports) ready; on your mark; on your marks (first part of the command phrase ready, steady, go! and its variants)


ohhoijaa

[ˈo̞hːo̞i̯j(ː)ɑ̝ː]

Ohhoijaa, onpa tänään tylsää töissä.

sigh (expression of fatigue, exhaustion, grief, sorrow, frustration, or the like)


ohhoh

Ohhoh! Toivottavasti kukaan ei nähnyt.

Ohhoh! Jonkun pitää korjata tuo ennen kuin kukaan luokkaantuu.

Uh-oh! Someone should fix that before anyone gets hurt.

uh-oh (exclamation of error, concern, awareness of a problem, or surprise)


omstart

A word that a spectator may shout during a spex (speksi) show to make the actors replay the previous scene.


upsista

Extension of upsis, as if the partitive singular; variant of hupsista.


ookoo

From the pronunciations of the individual letters in OK.


hahaa

Hahaa, tämähän toimii!

aha, haha, yahoo (exclamation of joyful understanding, realization, invention, or recognition)


rämpyti

Rämpyti, rämpyti - lopeta jo se soittaminen!

Thrum, thrum - could you please stop that playing!

A verbal emulation of a thrumming sound.


noh, noh

Noh, noh, älä ole ilkeä.

now, now (gentle reproach or admonition)

Noh, noh, ei ole mitään syytä huoleen.

Now, now, there's nothing to worry about.


kröhöm

(onomatopoeia) ahem (representation of the sound of a quiet cough or of clearing one's throat)

Kröhöm! Voisimmeko aloittaa?

ahem (exclamation or cough to get attention)


HOX

Alternative form of hox (“NB, take note”).


no niin

No niin! Nyt riittää!

OK, all right (utterance expressing exasperation or frustration)

all right (used to indicate support, favor or encouragement)

all right (used to fill space or pauses; used as a general lead-in or beginning)

No niin, ajattelen erästä numeroa...

OK, now, now then (used to introduce a sentence in order to draw attention to the importance of what is being said)

come on (expression of exasperation/impatience)


katin kontit

rubbish, nonsense (expresses that what was recently said is untruth or nonsense)


höpönpöpön

[ˈhø̞pø̞mˌpø̞pø̞n]


lopultakin

Lopultakin sinä tulit!

it's about time (used to express impatience at the eventual occurrence of something that the speaker considered to be long overdue)


ihan sama

whatever (expression used discourteously to indicate that the speaker does not consider the matter worthy of further discussion)


mikä ettei

Syödäänkö pizzaa lounaaksi? — Niin, mikä ettei?

Let's have pizza for lunch. — Yes, why not?

why not (used to state that one has no objection to and approves of a proposal)


jösses

[ˈjø̞s̠ːe̞s̠]

Jösses, se oli lähellä!


hupsista

Extension of hupsis, as if the partitive singular.


haista kukkanen

(euphemistic) expression to show discontent with the other party or contempt


M.O.T.

Short for mikä oli todistettava = mikä (“what”) + oli (“was”) + todistettava (“to be proven”)

(mathematics) QED, quod erat demonstrandum


vautsi

[ˈʋɑ̝u̯ts̠i]


vautsi-vau

/ˈʋɑu̯tsiˌʋɑu̯/

[ˈʋɑ̝u̯ts̠iˌʋɑ̝u̯]


kop kop

(onomatopoeia) knock knock, rat-tat-tat (imitation of the sound made by knocking)


hopi hopi

chop-chop (used to urge someone to hurry up)


turpa kiinni

From turpa (“horse mouth”) + kiinni (“shut, closed, attached”).

(dismissal) shut up, shut your mouth, shut your trap, shut the hell up


jukolauta

[ˈjuko̞ˌlɑ̝u̯t̪ɑ̝]

In dialects, jukolauta (juko + lauta) refers to a crossbeam in a sleigh, but in the sense "damn it, goddamn" it is being used as a minced oath of jumalauta.


piupaut

Onomatopoeic; piu and pau imitate the sound of bells.

"Piupaut lintudirektiiville", otsikoi Helsingin Sanomat pääkirjoituksensa tänään.

"Forget the bird directive" read the header of Helsingin Sanomat's editorial today.

Piupaut sinulle!

Used to indicate that somebody else's opinion means nothing to the speaker.


morjes

Alternative form of morjens (“hi, howdy”)


jassoo

[ˈjɑ̝s̠ːo̞ː]


höpsis

Of onomatopoeic origin; compare höpöttää.

nonsense (expression of disbelief or dismissal as false)


jumaliste

Euphemism for jumalauta, possibly from the genitive plural jumalisten of jumalinen


jaahas

[ˈjɑ̝ːɦɑ̝s̠]


harmi vain

Haluaisin matkustaa Mauritiukselle. Harmi vain, että minulla ei ole rahaa.

I would want to travel to Mauritius. Just a pity that I don't have the money.


voi minua

Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see voi, minua.


pyyh

(onomatopoeia) onomatopoeia of exhaling when snoring


krooh

(onomatopoeia) onomatopoeia of inhaling when snoring


huutista

(Internet slang) LOL, LMAO, kek (denotes the previous message as funny or ridiculous)


tik-tak

tick tock (the sound of a ticking clock)


voi sentään

[ˈʋo̞i̯ ˈs̠e̞n̪t̪æːn]


jukoliste

A minced oath of jumalauta that combines jukolauta and jumaliste.


juukeli

Possibly a blend of jumalauta + saakeli (or juutas + saakeli).


kts

(Internet slang) Abbreviation of kiitos (“thanks”).


aamuja

* (jeer): Military conscripts count their remaining number of days of military service as the number of "mornings". aamuja can be translated roughly as "(many) mornings", i.e. it (mockingly) reminds the conscript that he still has many days of military service remaining.

A jeer directed at a conscript serving his military service; often used by those who have already completed or are about to complete their military service.


hui hai

Possibly akin to hujan hajan; perhaps "topsy-turvy, chaotically, in disorder" > "to come to disorder, go astray" > "to go away" > "let it go away", or alternatively related to huit.


heikun keikun

Probably rhymed from keikkua, with influence from e.g. heilua. Use as a greeting is due to similarity with hei.


huiskis

whoosh (onomatopoeia of something going fast)


hellanlettas

[ˈhe̞lːɑ̝nˌle̞t̪ːɑ̝s̠]

Affectionate minced form of herranjestas.


herrajesta

[ˈhe̞rːɑ̝ˌje̞s̠tɑ̝]


herranjesta

[ˈhe̞rːɑ̝nˌje̞s̠tɑ̝]


tattista

[ˈt̪ɑ̝t̪ːis̠tɑ̝]


selkis

selkeä + -is; compare the use of selvä as an interjection


iltapäivää

/ˈiltɑˌpæi̯ʋæː/

[ˈil̪t̪ɑ̝ˌpæi̯ʋæː]


simsalabim

abracadabra (said by someone doing magic or magical trick)


hatunnosto

Hatunnosto kaikille toimintaan osallistuneille!

Let everyone taken part in the activity be respected!


herrajestas

[ˈhe̞rːɑ̝ˌje̞s̠tɑ̝s̠]


äp-päp

Compare English bup bup bup, up bup bup; possibly a natural expression.

bup bup bup (wait! not yet! don't do that!)

The päp may be repeated any arbitrary number of times

twice

The tone usually falls slowly over all of the repeats.

The vowel in the initial äp may be lengthened


kuka pelkää mustaa miestä

Literally "Who Is Afraid of the Black Man?". The game is of German origin (German Wer hat Angst vorm schwarzen Mann) and is based on traditional children's games that have been played for centuries. German medievalists and folklorists assume that the game exists since the Middle Ages, closely linked to the era of Black Death.

ncog

The phrase used in the above game to signify that players should start running from one end of the field to the other.


täh

As if from mitäh, an alternative form of mitä


sillä siisti

that's it, that's that, that's the lot (there's nothing more to say, and I'm not going to argue with you)


se siitä

Se siitä suunnitelmasta!


antaa tulla

bring it on, come on (expression of defiance)


joopa joo

(sarcastic) yeah, right, yeah, sure (expression of disbelief)

yeah, yeah; sure; whatever (often used dismissively)


siitä vain

Tiedät jo puhelinnumeroni. Jos tulee jotain asiaa, niin siitä vaan.

You already know my phone number. If something comes up, feel free (to call).

go ahead, go for it, feel free, be my guest (expression of acceptance for someone to do something)

Siitä vaan, ei se satu.

come on, go ahead, be a devil (expression of encouragement to a person that is hesitating, particularly to do a specific action right away)

Siitä vaan! Tästä he eivät pääse.

Let them come! They won't get through here.

come on, let him/her/them/it come (expression of defiance)


kääk

Probably after its similar use in Donald Duck comics, originally as an imitation of the sound of a duck.

Expression of becoming alarmed or of surprise or realization, often of something negative.


niisk

(onomatopoeia) sniff (short inhalation sound, sometimes associated with crying)


jumankauta

[ˈjumɑ̝ŋˌkɑ̝u̯t̪ɑ̝]

A minced oath of Juma(la)n kautta (“by God”). Compare jumalauta.


wanha

In older Finnish, the letter V was often spelled W.

(Internet slang, often humorous) a single-word response to a post – usually a piece of media – used to point out that the posted content is either old or a repost


jeesus

Jeesus, se oli lähellä!

Voi jeesus, mitä sinä touhuat?

Jesus, Jesus Christ (exclamation or mild depletive)


mitä sanotaan

[ˈmit̪æ ˈs̠ɑ̝no̞t̪ɑ̝ːn]

-Mitä sanotaan? -Kiitos.
-What do you say? -Thank you.

(to a child) what do you say (used when a child forgets to say a polite phrase in response)


pöö

Imitative, meant as a loud sound to startle someone.

boo, peekaboo (exclamation intended to scare someone)


tapaamisiin

[ˈt̪ɑ̝pɑ̝ːˌmis̠iːn]


ei kiitos

Haluatko loput mansikat? --Ei kiitos, en jaksa.

Do you want all the strawberries we didn't eat? --No thank you, I'm full.

no thank you (polite way of saying no in response to an offer)


o-ou

Compare English uh-oh. Possibly from it, if the expression is not natural; it is difficult to trace down through written sources.


päkä

Onomatopoeic; akin to Ingrian päkättää, Karelian päkä and Veps bäkita.


sorppa

[ˈs̠o̞rpːɑ̝]


prkl

(Internet slang) Abbreviation of perkele.


huh huh

Huh huh, mikä vuosi!

whoa, oh, phew (expression of surprise, shock and/or relief)


Jumalan rauhaa

[ˈjumɑ̝lɑ̝n ˈrɑ̝u̯ɦɑ̝ː]

Jumalan (“God's”) + rauhaa (“of peace”).


Jumalan terve

Jumalan (“God's”) + terve (“greetings; healthy”). The semantic development is contested. See also grüß Gott and goodbye.


Jumalan rauhaan

[ˈjumɑ̝lɑ̝n ˈrɑ̝u̯ɦɑ̝ːn]

Jumalan (“God's”) + rauhaan (“into peace”). Compare goodbye.


piru vieköön

Piru (“Devil”) + vieköön (“take [3rd p. s. imp.]”). Literally, 'Let the Devil take him/her/it.'

Piru vieköön! Enpä huomannut.


ihahaa

(onomatopoeia) neigh-neigh (cry of a horse)


kuti kuti

Reduplication of the descriptive root kuti- (“to be tickled”).


herranjumala

[ˈhe̞rːɑ̝nˌjumɑ̝lɑ̝]

herran + Jumala, possibly originally without a -n, but compare also Swedish herregud

(possibly blasphemous) oh my God, dear God


jeekana

[ˈje̞ːkɑ̝nɑ̝]

A minced form of Jeesus, possibly inspired by perhana.


jukranpujut

Extension of jukra, as if from a genitive singular + plural of puju, not from an actual Finnish word.


heido

Borrowed from Swedish hej då (“bye then”).


helvetin kuustoista

Literally, “hell's sixteen”, or more loosely translated as “damned sixteen”. According to a common story, referring to the date of May 16, the original Flag Day of the Finnish military to celebrate the anniversary of White victory over the Reds in the Finnish Civil War, and thus an accursed day to Reds and their supporters. This may however be apocryphal. Other theories include association with Swedish sjutton (“seventeen”), used as a euphemism in place of taboo words, and a reference to the card game of twenty-one.

lit

(idiomatic) An intensified form of helvetti.

Finnish Civil War
twenty-one (banking game)


jaa-a

well (as a response to a question when trying to think of an answer)


propsit

From English props with a further native plural suffix.

Propsit sinulle.


KVG

Initialism of katso vittu Googlesta (“fucking Google it”, literally “check the fucking Google”).

initialism

Hei, mikä on Mongolian pääkaupunki? – Mä tiedän tämän, se on sellanen ku KVG.
Hey, what is the capital of Mongolia? – I know this one, it's known as STFW.

(Internet slang) STFW (retort to questions that could be answered easily by browsing the internet)


nääh

Mennäänkö leffaan? Nääh, ei huvita.

Wanna go watch a movie with me? Nah, I can’t be bothered.


pus kii

sic 'em (command to get a dog to attack)


Maken järki

From the English expression makes sense and the intentional misspelling Make's sense.

Viljami vandalisoi Wikisanakirjaa ja ulisee nyt kun sai ip-bannit. Maken järki.

Viljami vandalized Wiktionary and now whines about getting IP banned. Sound logic.

(Internet slang, sarcastic) A response to any illogical activity.


harmin paikka

[ˈhɑ̝rmim ˈpɑ̝i̯kːɑ̝]


a vot

Borrowed from Russian а вот (a vot, “and so”).


avot

all right, that's it, there you have it (used to express satisfaction with the completion of anything)

all right (used to fill space or pauses; used as a general lead-in or beginning)


plääh

Possibly onomatopoeic. Compare English blah.


pliis

(colloquial or slang) please (especially when pleading)


lääh

(onomatopoeia) pant (usually used with (before) puuh)


lällällää

/ˈlælːælːæː/

[ˈlælːælːæː]


titityy

(onomatopoeia) teacher, teacher (imitating the bird call of a great tit)


näkemisiin

Synonym of näkemiin (“see you later, goodbye”)


hoplaa

Found in many European languages; compare Swedish hoppla, German hoppla, Italian oplà, French oup-là (earlier houp-là), English hoopla. Probably ultimately onomatopoeic, albeit the exact language of origin is not certain.


Luojan lykky

From Luojan (“Lord's”) + lykky (“luck”).


kannatetaan

[ˈkɑ̝nːɑ̝ˌt̪e̞t̪ɑ̝ːn]


turkanen

Proto-Finnic *turka- + -nen, probably borrowed from Proto-Germanic *dwergaz.


turpa kii

From turpa (“horse mouth”) + kii (“shut, closed, attached”).

(dismissal) Alternative form of turpa kiinni (“shut up”).


tsaukki

From tsau + -kki. Initial component from Italian ciao. Compare Estonian tsauki, tšauki.


tik tak

tick tock (the sound of a ticking clock)


himputti

Probably a euphemism for helvetti (“hell”). Compare hemmetti, hemskutti, himskatti.


hemskutti

Probably a euphemism for helvetti (“hell”). Compare hemmetti, himputti, himskatti.


vittuku

Vittuku tää auto ei kiihdy.

Vittuku mä vihaan tätä peliä.


lätsis

Litsis, lätsis, astutaan!


niin kai

Literally, niin (“so, thus”) + kai (“maybe”).

Lopetan tupakanpolton. --Niin kai!


hohoi

Hohoi - olen täällä!


aijaa

[ˈɑ̝i̯ˌjɑ̝ː]


mitä sitten

Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see mitä, sitten.


mitä siitä

Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see mitä, siitä.


komssii komssaa

[ˈko̞ms̠ːiː ˈko̞ms̠ːɑ̝ː]


komsii komsaa

Borrowed from French comme ci, comme ça.

Alternative form: komssii komssaa


krääk

Alternative form of kraak (“croak, caw”).


hakkaa päälle

/ˈhɑkːɑːˣ ˈpæːlːeˣ/

[ˈhɑ̝kːɑ̝ːp̚ ˈpæːlːe̞(ʔ)]

From hakkaa (“beat, whack”) + päälle (“onto, on top of”).

– Hakkaa päälle pohjan poika! Eteenpäin pojat... Tulta munille. Kimppuun pojat!

1954, Väinö Linna, Tuntematon sotilas, →ISBN, English translation by Liesl Yamaguchi:

‘Cut them down, Kaleva! Advance! Shoot for their nuts. Charge!’


ei hassumpaa

Alternative form of ei hassumpi (“not bad, reasonably good”)


ei hassumpi

ei (“not”) + hassumpi (“funnier, sillier”)

Alternative form: ei hassumpaa


paljon onnea

Well wishes, generic: congratulations, happy birthday, happy anniversary, etc.


hilirimpsis

An ideophonic expression with many variants, such as hilipruiskis, hilurim(p)sis, hilurimpsus, hirinliriä. Probably predates, at least in some form, its attestation in written sources, which tend to be recent (from the late 20th century at the earliest). Perhaps inspired by hilistä (and/or hile, hilu) and rimpuilla (in the sense “to romp, frolic”).

A general expression of well wishes, which can be interpreted e.g. as a welcome, as a greeting or as bidding farewell depending on the context.

[...], ja hilirimpsis, [...] ― …, and bada bing bada boom, …

bada bing bada boom, bada bing (expressing that something followed predictably, as a direct consequence, or that something was easy or simple to accomplish)


humpsis

(onomatopoeic) The sound of falling but landing over somewhat softly; thump, thunk

(informal) bada bing bada boom, bada bing (expressing that something followed predictably, as a direct consequence, or that something was easy or simple to accomplish)


kiitos tyhjästä

(idiomatic, ironic) thanks for nothing (unhappy for actual unhelpfulness)


jopas jotakin

Jopas jotakin! Mehän voitimme!

I'll be damned, that's quite something (used to express surprise)


taakse poistu

taakse (“behind”) and poistu (“command to run ten paces”); first part gives the direction, second part specifies the action.

(military, Finland) Command for soldiers to do an about-face, run 10 paces, stop, turn back around to face the person who issued the command, and stand at ease.


rauha hänelle

Calque of Arabic عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ (ʕalayhi s-salāmu, “peace be upon him”), عَلَيْهَا السَّلَامُ (ʕalayhā s-salāmu, “peace be upon her”).

calque

عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ

(Islam) peace be upon him, peace be upon her


haista home

Literally, “sniff mold/mould/mildew”, euphemistic version of haista paska


sentäs

[ˈs̠e̞n̪t̪æs̠]

Contracted from sen tähtensä, with the possessive ending -nsa (while sentään is from sen tähden).


U vai M

/ˈuː ˈʋɑi̯ ˈæm/

[ˈuː ˈʋɑ̝i̯ ˈæm]

Partial initialism of uhka vai mahdollisuus (“threat or opportunity”), a (sometimes ironic) stock phrase, possibly from SWOT analysis where things are identified as either harmful "threats" or helpful "opportunities".

Suht pitkän mekon kanssa leggarit, u vai m?

2019 July 11, DDDD, Vauva, archived from the original on 2024-03-19:

Leggings with a kinda long skirt, good idea or bad?

Huumeiden käyttötilat – U vai M

2023 December 13, BuenoTalk, archived from the original on 2024-03-19:

Drug consumption rooms – threat or opportunity?

(Internet slang, informal) threat or opportunity, good idea or bad (used when evaluating an idea or phenomenon)


skädäm

[ˈs̠k̟æˈdæm]

[E]x-kakkonen pääsee jyvälle sun todellisesta motiivista päättää sähläys ja skädäm... Siinä käry haisee ennenkus kerkiät kissaa sanoa.

2011 December 19, retaeta2, Suomi24, archived from the original on 2022-04-17:

[Y]our former mistress will get wind of your true motive to end the folly and bam... You'll get ratted out faster than ya can say knife.

Tuli maijasta ulos ja skädäm sai 308win luodin kätensä läpi keskivartaloon.

2014 July 3, Veriviemäri, murha.info, archived from the original on 2024-04-12:

[He] got out of the police car and bam, [he] got a .308 Winchester bullet through his hand and into his abdomen.

Tuossahan oli ihan toimiva resepti....^([sic])juurikin räjähdykseen !^([sic]) [shocked emoticon] Todennäköisesti vanhassa laturissa ei ollut juuri mitään "älyä" ja latasi kunnes ! ^([sic]) "SKÄDÄM" ! ^([sic])

2017 October 27, Jaguar Foorumi, archived from the original on 2024-04-12:

Well that was a working recipe... for an explosion! [shocked emoticon] Likely the old charger wasn't "smart" at all and it charged until... "BOOM"!


ohops

Extension of oho, possibly a blend of oho + hups


ai jaa

[ˈɑ̝i̯ˌjɑ̝ː]

[ˈɑ̝i̯ ˈjɑ̝ː]

oh, I see (expression of understanding, affirmation or recognition)


perseensuti

Perseensuti, taas meni ohi!


tseno

Metathesis of sento, itself from asento (“attention, ten-hut”).


herranjee

[ˈhe̞rːɑ̝nˌje̞ː]


noniin

(colloquial, proscribed) Alternative spelling of no niin