Are you traveling to Finland? Then it may be a good idea to learn a few Finnish phrases and expressions. Firstly, it is nice and respectful to the locals, but you also get better treatment and more smiles during your trip.
Although many Finns understand English, many of them are proud of their country and the Finnish language. Therefore, I have collected a list of common Finnish phrases and expressions that will be useful while visiting Finland.
Greetings
Although many Finns understand English, it might be nice to be able to say hello, good morning and good day in Finnish.
| English | Finnish |
| Hello | Moi |
| Good morning | Hyvää huomenta |
| Good day | Hyvää päivää |
| Good night | Hyvää iltaa |
| Bye | Näkemiin / Moi Moi |
| Welcome | Tervetuloa |
Useful Finnish Phrases to remember
Daily Phrases in finnish that will help you do some smalltalk and understand more.
| English | Finnish |
| Yes | Kyllä |
| No | Ei |
| How are you? | Mitä kuuluu? |
| Good | Hyvää |
| Bad | Huono |
| Much | Paljon |
| More | Lisää |
| What’s your name? | Mikä sinun nimesi on? |
| Excuse me | Anteeksi |
| Thank you | Kiitos |
| Thank you very much | Kiitos paljon |
| You’re welcome | Ole hyvä |
| I don’t understand | Minä en ymmärrä |
| Do you speak English? | Puhutko englantia? |
| Where’s the bathroom/toilet? | Missä on vessa? |
Finnish Phrases for the restaurant
When you travel to Finland, the chance is quite big that you’ll eat at a restaurant, and as always it would be nice to order in the local language. Below is a list with some of the most common restaurant words and phrases in Finnish.
| English | Finnish |
| Can I see the menu please? | Voisinko nähdä ruokalistan? |
| Medium Rare | Mediumina |
| Well-done | Kypsänä |
| Rare | Raakana |
| What would you recommend? | Mitä suosittelet ruokalistalta? |
| Enjoy your meal | Hyvää ruokahalua! |
| Could I get…? | Saisinko…? |
| How much is it? | Kuinka paljon tämä maksaa? |
| Check, please. | Saisimmeko laskun, kiitos? |
| Do you accept credit cards? | Hyväksyttekö luottokortin? |
Meals
| English | Finnish |
| Breakfast | Aamiainen |
| Lunch | Lounas |
| Dinner | Illallinen |
Food and Drinks
Some common finnish words for food and drinks.
| English | Finnish |
| Shrimp | Katkarapu |
| Meatballs | Lihapyorykoita |
| Ham | Kinkku |
| Meat | Liha |
| Chicken | Kana |
| Fish | Kala |
| Vegetables | Vihannes |
| Ice Cream | Jäätelö |
| Desert | Jälkiruoka |
| Salt | Suola |
| Pepper | Pippuri |
| White wine | Valko-viiniä |
| Red wine | Puna-viiniä |
| Beer | Olutta |
| Coffee | Kahvin |
| Soda | Limsa |
| Water | Vettä |
| Water without gas | Lähdevettä |
| Water with gas | Kivennäisvettä |
Finnish words for Directions
To be able to ask for directions in Finnish might become handy while exploring. Below you’ll find some of the most commons words and how to ask where something is.
Att kunna fråga om vägen är alltid bra och här nedan har du ett par finska fraser för vägriktningar och hur man frågar om vart något ligger.
| English | Finnish |
| Here | Täällä |
| Left | Vasemmalle |
| Right | Oikealle |
| Straight forward | Suoraan |
| Before | Ennen |
| Close | Lähellä |
| After | N ohi |
| Behind | Takana |
| Excuse me, where is…? | Anteeksi, Missä on…? |
How to count to 100 in finnish + number words
To count in Finnish could seem a bit tricky, but it’s actually quite simple. From eleven to nineteen you just add “toista”. For example eleven is named yksitoist and twelve is kaksitoista. When you get to twenty you just add the number after kaksikymmentä. Twenty one will be kaksikymmentäyksi and twenty two will be kaksikymmentäkaksi, and so on.
Quite simple right? You do the same with thirty, forty, fifty and so on.
| English | Finnish |
| One | Yksi |
| Two | Kaksi |
| Three | Kolme |
| Four | Neljä |
| Five | Viisi |
| Six | Kuusi |
| Seven | Seitsemän |
| Eight | Kahdeksan |
| Nine | Yhdeksän |
| Ten | Kymmenen |
| Eleven | Yksitoista |
| Twelve | Kaksitoista |
| Thirteen | Kolmetoista |
| Fourteen | Neljätoista |
| Fiftteen | Viisitoista |
| Sixteen | Kuusitoista |
| Seventeen | Seitsemäntoista |
| Eighteen | Kahdeksantoista |
| Nineteen | Yhdeksäntoista |
| Twenty | Kaksikymmentä |
| Twenty one | Kaksikymmentäyksi |
| Twenty two | Kaksikymmentäkaksi |
| Thirty | Kolmekymmentä |
| Forty | Neljäkymmentä |
| Fifty | Viisikymmentä |
| Sixty | Kuusikymmentä |
| Seventy | Seitsemänkymmentä |
| Eighty | Kahdeksankymmentä |
| Ninety | Yhdeksänkymmentä |
| One hundred | Sata |
Now you know some Finnish phrases and words. Practice some more and you’ll soon be ready to speak with the locals and experience the true culture of Finland. Have some more suggestions for Finnish words and useful phrases?
Feel free to share in the comment section.