TravelwithLanguages.com

The full List of the 1000 Most Common Finnish Vocabulary Words

We created this list of the thousand most common Finnish words by doing a statistical analysis of a large number of Finnish articles.

Most Finnish vocabulary words are very different from their English equivalents. That’s because Finnish is not an Indo-European language (unlike English, French, Spanish, and many of the other languages that are spoken in Europe).

Finnish is related to Estonian (many Finnish words are similar to the corresponding Estonian terms). Finnish is also distantly related to Hungarian, but there are far fewer vocabulary similarities between them.

List of the most common Finnish vocabulary words

Filter by word type

Show comments for some of the words

olla

[verb]

(to be)

This verb is the most frequently-used Finnish word and depending on how it is used, it can generally be translated as “to be” or “to have”. For example, when used as a copular verb, it translates to the English verb “to be”. When used as an auxiliary verb to construct the present perfect tense as well as other verb tenses, it corresponds to the English verb “to have”.
ja

[conjunction]

(and)
se

[pronoun]

(it)

Finnish is a language without definite and indefinite articles (those are the words “the”, “a”, “an” in English), therefore demonstrative pronouns such as se, tämä and tuo are frequently used instead.
ei

[verb]

This is an auxiliary verb which is used to form the negatives of other verbs.
joka

[pronoun]

(which)

In Finnish, the word joka is a relative pronoun which refers to the preceding word in the sentence.
että

[conjunction]

(that)
tämä

[pronoun]

(this)
voida

[verb]

(can)

When used as an auxiliary verb, voida can be translated as “may” or “can”. When used as an intransitive verb, it can correspond to the English verb “to be”.
vuosi

[noun]

(year)
hän

[pronoun]

(he, she)

Finnish is what linguists call a genderless language, because of the absence of grammatical gender distinctions. The Finnish pronoun hän corresponds to both the English pronouns he and she.
myös

[adverb]

(also)
saada

[verb]

(to get)
tai

[conjunction]

(or)
tulla

[verb]

(to become)
kun

[conjunction]

(when)
mutta

[conjunction]

(but)
aika

[noun]

(time)
Suomi

[proper noun]

(Finland)
tehdä

[verb]

(to make)
kuin

[conjunction]

(than)
mikä

[pronoun]

(what)

In Finnish, the word mikä can be used either as a relative pronoun or as an interrogative pronoun.
sekä

[conjunction]

(and)
kaikki

[pronoun]

(everything)
mukaan

[adverb]
jos

[conjunction]

(if)
niin

[adverb]

(so)
pitää

[verb]

(to keep)
muu

[pronoun]

(other)
uusi

[adjective]

(new)
minä

[pronoun]

(I)
jo

[adverb]

(already)
oma

[adjective]

(own)
hyvä

[adjective]

(good)
nyt

[adverb]

(now)
vain

[adverb]

(only)
asia

[noun]

(thing)
toinen

[pronoun]

(another)
kanssa

[postposition]

(with)
osa

[noun]

(part)
suuri

[adjective]

(large)
ihminen

[noun]

(man)
vielä

[adverb]

(yet)
jälkeen

[noun]

(after)
käyttää

[verb]

(to use)
kertoa

[verb]

(to tell)
ottaa

[verb]

(to take)
itse

[pronoun]

(oneself)
antaa

[verb]

(to give)
hyvin

[adverb]

(very)
yksi

[numeral]

(one)
kaksi

[numeral]

(two)
euro

[noun]

(euro)
työ

[noun]

(work)

The Finnish word “työ” (work) is similar to the corresponding Estonian word, which is “töö”.
sanoa

[verb]

(to say)
sitten

[adverb]

(then)
lisäksi

[adverb]

(in addition)
sama

[pronoun]

(same)
toimia

[verb]

(act)
koko

[adjective]

(entire)
maa

[noun]

(land)
kuitenkin

[adverb]

(however)
noin

[adverb]

(about)
lapsi

[noun]

(child)
tieto

[noun]

(knowledge)
vaikka

[conjunction]

(although)
haluta

[verb]

(to want)
alkaa

[verb]

(start)
Helsinki

[proper noun]

Helsinki is the capital of Finland
ennen

[preposition]

(before)
moni

[pronoun]

(many)
mikään

[pronoun]

(any)
ensimmäinen

[adjective]

(first)
alue

[noun]

(area)
paljon

[adverb]

(a lot)
vaan

[conjunction]

(but)
päivä

[noun]

(day)
jokin

[pronoun]

(one)
eli

[conjunction]

(or)
eri

[adjective]

(different)
suomalainen

[adjective]

(finnish)
viime

[adjective]

(last)
toiminta

[noun]

(action)
käyttö

[noun]

(use)
koska

[conjunction]

(because)
yli

[adverb]
tarvita

[verb]

(to need)
kuulua

[verb]
käydä

[verb]

(to visit)
mieli

[noun]

(mind)
aina

[adverb]

(always)
kaupunki

[noun]

(city)
jäädä

[verb]

(to stay)
esimerkiksi

[adverb]

(for example)
prosentti

[noun]

(percentage)
kunta

[noun]

(municipality)
liittyä

[verb]
maksaa

[verb]

(to pay)
mennä

[verb]

(go)
päästä

[verb]
mies

[noun]

(man)
yritys

[noun]

(company)
paikka

[noun]

(place)
tapa

[noun]

(custom)
kolme

[numeral]

(three)
kuva

[noun]

(picture)
maailma

[noun]

(world)

The Finnish word “maailma” (world) is a compound term formed from “maa” (earth) and‎ “ilma” (air).
nähdä

[verb]

(to see)
löytyä

[verb]
näin

[adverb]

(thus)
hallitus

[noun]

(government)
puoli

[noun]

(half)
pieni

[adjective]

(small)
sinä

[pronoun]

(you)
kuten

[adverb]

(as)
enemmän

[adverb]

(more)
miten

[adverb]

(how)
katsoa

[verb]

(to look)
vasta

[adverb]

(only)
nuori

[adjective]

(young)
viesti

[noun]

(message)
auto

[noun]

(car)
klo

[noun]
yhteys

[noun]

(connection)
sillä

[conjunction]

(for)
määrä

[noun]

(amount)
miljoona

[numeral]

(million)
hinta

[noun]

(price)
esittää

[verb]

(present)
tärkeä

[adjective]

(important)
viikko

[noun]

(week)
syy

[noun]
raha

[noun]

(money)
koulu

[noun]

(school)
nainen

[noun]

(woman)
seuraava

[adjective]

(next)
mahdollisuus

[noun]
apu

[noun]

(help)
kerta

[noun]

(time)
juuri

[adverb]

(just)
tilanne

[noun]

(situation)
kyllä

[adverb]
vastata

[verb]

(to answer)
vanha

[adjective]

(old)
tulos

[noun]

(result)
alku

[noun]

(beginning)
tutkimus

[noun]

(research)
elämä

[noun]

(life)
joutua

[verb]

(to get)
Venäjä

[proper noun]

(Russia)
enää

[adverb]

(any more)
lisätä

[verb]

(to add)
tavoite

[noun]

(target)
nousta

[verb]

(to rise)
palvelu

[noun]

(service)
mahdollinen

[adjective]

(possible)
kautta

[preposition]

(through)
loppu

[noun]

(end)
yhtiö

[noun]

(company)
mukana

[adverb]

(with)
päättää

[verb]

(to decide)
taas

[adverb]

(again)
valtio

[noun]

(state)
tehtävä

[noun]

(mission)
järjestää

[verb]

(to arrange)
usea

[adjective]

(many)
lähteä

[verb]

(go)
valita

[verb]

(to choose)
vaatia

[verb]

(to demand)
Eurooppa

[proper noun]
päätös

[noun]

(decision)
ilman

[preposition]

(without)
jopa

[adverb]

(even)
tapahtua

[verb]

(to happen)
erilainen

[adjective]

(different)
sellainen

[adjective]

(such)
ongelma

[noun]

(problem)
kannattaa

[verb]
tila

[noun]

(state)
koskea

[verb]

(concern)
lukea

[verb]

(to read)
tietää

[verb]

(to know)
näyttää

[verb]

(to show)
henkilö

[noun]

(person)
nimi

[noun]

(name)
asiaton

[adjective]

(inappropriate, irrelevant)
siis

[adverb]

(therefore)
vaikuttaa

[verb]

(to influence)
lähes

[adverb]

(nearly)
saattaa

[verb]

(walk)
kasvaa

[verb]

(to grow)
tuoda

[verb]

(to bring)
tarkoittaa

[verb]

(to mean)
joten

[adverb]

(so)
todeta

[verb]

(note)
vastaan

[adverb]
jokainen

[pronoun]

(everyone)
ohjelma

[noun]

(program)
joku

[pronoun]

(someone)
lisää

[adverb]

(more)
muutama

[pronoun]

(a few)
ihan

[adverb]

(quite)
syntyä

[verb]

(to be born)
usein

[adverb]

(often)
oy

[noun]

(Ltd)
muutos

[noun]

(change)
koulutus

[noun]

(training)
peruste

[noun]
silloin

[adverb]

(then)
edelleen

[adverb]

(still)
kohta

[noun]

(part, spot)
aloittaa

[verb]

(to start)
opiskelija

[noun]

(student)
tuo

[pronoun]

(that)
pois

[adverb]

(off)
ainakin

[adverb]

(at least)
tarjota

[verb]

(to offer)
jäsen

[noun]

(member)
kysymys

[noun]

(question)
talous

[noun]

(economy)
edes

[adverb]

(at least)
kurssi

[noun]

(course)
kanta

[noun]

(base)
hetki

[noun]

(moment)
yliopisto

[noun]

(university)
aivan

[adverb]

(very)
oikea

[adjective]

(right)
yhteistyö

[noun]

(cooperation)

This Finnish compound is formed from the words yhteinen (“common” or “joint”) and työ (“work”).
ensi

[adjective]

(next)
aiheuttaa

[verb]

(to cause)
viimeinen

[adjective]

(last)
puhua

[verb]

(to talk)
jättää

[verb]

(to leave)
huomio

[noun]

(attention)
kirjoittaa

[verb]

(to write)
nykyinen

[adjective]

(current)
pystyä

[verb]

(to can)
vähän

[adverb]

(a little)
laskea

[verb]

(drop)
neljä

[numeral]

(four)
poliisi

[noun]

(police)
osallistua

[verb]

(participate)
kuinka

[adverb]

(how)
puheenjohtaja

[noun]

(chairman)

As you can probably guess by its length, the Finnish word “puheenjohtaja” (chairman) is a compound term. The components are‎ “johtaja” (leader) and “puheen” (of talk).
uskoa

[verb]

(to believe)
yleensä

[adverb]

(usually)
tuote

[noun]

(product)
tarkoitus

[noun]

(meaning)
pitkä

[adjective]

(long)
vuoksi

[postposition]

(because of)
jolloin

[adverb]

(when)
matka

[noun]

(trip)
siellä

[adverb]

(there)
rakentaa

[verb]

(to build)
kirja

[noun]

(book)
ostaa

[verb]

(to buy)
tapaus

[noun]

(case)
muuttaa

[verb]

(change)
varten

[postposition]

(for)
entinen

[adjective]

(former)
käytäntö

[noun]

(practice)
arvioida

[verb]

(to estimate)
muassa

[postposition]

(along with)
muun

[pronoun]
kuukausi

[noun]

(month)

This Finnish word is a combination of the words kuu (“moon”) and kausi (“phase”).
ryhmä

[noun]

(group)
kokous

[noun]

(meeting)
ilmoittaa

[verb]

(notify)
kausi

[noun]

(season)
ottelu

[noun]

(match)

The Finnish word “ottelu” refers to a sporting event (a match). Sports that are popular in Finland include Ice Hockey (“jääkiekko” in Finnish) and “pesäpallo” (Finnish baseball).
kansainvälinen

[adjective]

(international)
taso

[noun]

(level)
ala

[noun]

(area)
välillä

[noun]
jotta

[conjunction]

(so that)
johtaa

[verb]

(to lead)
erityisesti

[adverb]

(especially)
ajaa

[verb]

(to drive)
hyväksyä

[verb]

(to accept)
oikeus

[noun]

(right)
kehitys

[noun]

(development)
iso

[adjective]

(big)
samalla

[adverb]

(at the same time)
riittää

[verb]

(do)
liian

[adverb]

(too)
Ruotsi

[proper noun]

(Sweden)
odottaa

[verb]

(expect)
tunti

[noun]

(hour)
ehkä

[adverb]

(perhaps)
alle

[adverb]
jatkaa

[verb]

(to continue)
yhteinen

[adjective]

(common)
todella

[adverb]

(really)
pari

[noun]

(pair)
sopimus

[noun]

(agreement)
kuitenkaan

[adverb]
miksi

[adverb]

(why)
kyse

[noun]

(matter)
viisi

[numeral]

(five)
kerran

[adverb]

(once)
muuttua

[verb]

(alter)
kesä

[noun]

(summer)

The Finnish words for each of the four seasons made it onto this list of the 1000 most common words. The seasons are “talvi” (winter), “kevät” (spring), “kesä” (summer), and “syksy” (autumn).
joukkue

[noun]

(team)
maali

[noun]

(paint)
kehittää

[verb]

(to develop)
pyrkiä

[verb]

(to strive)
yhdessä

[adverb]

(together)
tapahtuma

[noun]

(event)
sopia

[verb]
sivu

[noun]

(page)
joukko

[noun]

(troops)
vesi

[noun]

(water)
työntekijä

[noun]

(worker)
tuottaa

[verb]

(to produce)
mikäli

[conjunction]

(if)
vaikutus

[noun]

(effect)
jatkua

[verb]

(to continue)
peli

[noun]

(game)
kulua

[verb]
näkyä

[verb]

(to be visible)
heti

[adverb]

(immediately)
perustua

[verb]
kehittäminen

[noun]
seurata

[verb]

(to follow)
toteuttaa

[verb]

(implement)
viedä

[verb]

(to take)
suorittaa

[verb]

(run)
vaikea

[adjective]

(difficult)
nostaa

[verb]

(to lift)
kasvu

[noun]

(growth)
yrittää

[verb]

(to try)
vai

[conjunction]

(or)
erittäin

[adverb]

(very)
käyttäjä

[noun]

(user)

The Finnish word “käyttäjä” (user) is derived from the verb “käyttää” (to use), which also appears in the Finnish vocabulary list.
asunto

[noun]
opettaja

[noun]

(teacher)
hoito

[noun]

(care)
hieman

[adverb]

(slightly)
Oulu

[proper noun]

Oulu is the name of a city in Finland.
keskustelu

[noun]

(conversation)
löytää

[verb]

(to find)
tänään

[adverb]

(today)

This word is similar to the Estonian word täna. For more similar words, see this comparison of Estonian and Finnish.
asti

[postposition]

(until)
korkea

[adjective]

(high)
edellinen

[adjective]

(previous)
täysin

[adverb]

(completely)
voittaa

[verb]

(to win)
siten

[adverb]

(thus)
osoittaa

[verb]
muuten

[adverb]

(otherwise)
tällainen

[adjective]
julkinen

[adjective]

(public)
takia

[postposition]

(because of)
yhä

[adverb]

(still)
sisältää

[verb]

(to contain)
pelata

[verb]
hakea

[verb]

(fetch)
perhe

[noun]

(family)
valmis

[adjective]

(ready)
tie

[noun]

(road)
laki

[noun]

(law)
asiakas

[noun]

(customer)
tukea

[verb]

(to support)
ratkaisu

[noun]

(solution)
tulevaisuus

[noun]

(future)
syksy

[noun]

(autumn)
keskusta

[noun]

(center)
sijaita

[verb]

(be located)
helppo

[adjective]

(easy)
Saksa

[proper noun]

(Germany)
merkitys

[noun]

(importance)
kukaan

[pronoun]

(anyone)
yleinen

[adjective]

(general)
kulttuuri

[noun]

(culture)
kolmas

[adjective]

(third)
yhtä

[adverb]

(equally)
johtaja

[noun]

(manager)
välinen

[adjective]
arvo

[noun]

(value)
talo

[noun]

(house)
myydä

[verb]

(to sell)
ymmärtää

[verb]

(understand)
yhteensä

[adverb]

(together)
käsitellä

[verb]

(deal with)
kymmenen

[numeral]

(ten)
siksi

[adverb]

(consequently)
hanke

[noun]

(project)
tuntua

[verb]
julkaista

[verb]

(to publish)
Turku

[proper noun]

Turku is the name of a city in Finland.
kokemus

[noun]

(experience)
jakaa

[verb]

(to share)
mennessä

[postposition]

(by)
Yhdysvallat

[proper noun]

(United States)

The Finnish word for “United States” is “Yhdysvallat” which looks nothing like its English translation. But it is formed along the same pattern, by combining the prefix “yhdys-” (which means “united”) and the word‎ “vallat” (which means “states”).
nopeasti

[adverb]

(quickly)
pankki

[noun]

(bank)
kansa

[noun]
hoitaa

[verb]
kova

[adjective]

(hard)
kieli

[noun]

(language)
asema

[noun]

(status)
esitys

[noun]

(presentation)
kello

[noun]

(clock)
auttaa

[verb]

(to help)
pää

[noun]

(head)
lähettää

[verb]

(to send)
suoraan

[adverb]

(directly)
osata

[verb]

(to know)
sana

[noun]

(word)
miljardi

[numeral]

(billion)
tuki

[noun]

(support)
siirtyä

[verb]

(to move)
onnistua

[verb]

(succeed)
osuus

[noun]

(share)
perustaa

[verb]

(to establish)
kirkko

[noun]

(church)
rakentaminen

[noun]

(construction)
vaihe

[noun]

(stage)
aiemmin

[adverb]

(previously)
täällä

[adverb]

(here)
kestää

[verb]

(take)
asua

[verb]

(to live)
sijaan

[noun]
Kreikka

[proper noun]

(Greece)
lehti

[noun]

(leaf)

“Lehti” is a Finnish word that means “a leaf” or “a paper” in English. However, it is more commonly used to refer to a “newspaper” or “magazine”.
luoda

[verb]

(to create)
oikein

[adverb]

(correctly)
kauppa

[noun]

(trade)
myynti

[noun]

(sales)
pohja

[noun]

(bottom)
pysyä

[verb]

(to stay)
mukainen

[adjective]
ero

[noun]

(difference)
liitto

[noun]

(union)
voitto

[noun]

(profit)
myöntää

[verb]

(admit)
käsi

[noun]

(hand)
Tampere

[proper noun]

Tampere is the name of a city in Finland.
koskaan

[adverb]

(ever)
suunnitella

[verb]

(to design)
mainita

[verb]

(to mention)
edellyttää

[verb]

(to require)
vähintään

[adverb]

(at least)
historia

[noun]

(history)
rakennus

[noun]

(building)
mukaisesti

[adverb]

(in accordance with)
laittaa

[verb]

(to put)
selvittää

[verb]
lauantai

[noun]

(Saturday)
kilpailu

[noun]

(competition)
Jumala

[proper noun]

(God)
tuleva

[adjective]

(future)
kustannus

[noun]

(publishing)
koti

[noun]

(home)
projekti

[noun]

(project)
yhteiskunta

[noun]

(society)

yhteiskunta is a compound word formed from yhteinen (“common”) and kunta (“community”).
asettaa

[verb]

(set)
malli

[noun]

(model)
Nokia

[proper noun]
johto

[noun]

(management)
myöhemmin

[adverb]

(later)
tuntea

[verb]

(to feel)
joskus

[adverb]

(sometimes)
markka

[noun]

(mark)
ympäristö

[noun]

(environment)
merkittävä

[adjective]

(significant)
läpi

[adverb]

(through)
ainoa

[adjective]

(only)
muistaa

[verb]

(to remember)
aihe

[noun]

(subject)
edustaja

[noun]

(representative)
seura

[noun]

(company)
tarve

[noun]

(need)
elää

[verb]

(to live)
huono

[adjective]

(bad)
suhde

[noun]

(ratio)
suunta

[noun]

(direction)
takaisin

[adverb]

(back)
joko

[adverb]
metri

[noun]

(meter)
järjestelmä

[noun]

(system)
silti

[adverb]

(still)
sisältö

[noun]

(contents)
raja

[noun]

(limit)
varmasti

[adverb]

(certainly)
verran

[noun]
ensin

[adverb]

(first)
vaihtoehto

[noun]

(option)
opetus

[noun]

(teaching)
puolue

[noun]

(party)
johtua

[verb]
kiinni

[adverb]

(closed)
helposti

[adverb]

(easily)
palkka

[noun]

(pay)
työpaikka

[noun]

(job, workplace)
tekijä

[noun]

(author)
päättyä

[verb]

(to end)
sunnuntai

[noun]

(Sunday)
etu

[noun]

(advantage)
tekeminen

[noun]

(making)
perjantai

[noun]

(Friday)
täyttää

[verb]

(to fill)
kuusi

[numeral]

(six)
juttu

[noun]

(thing, case)
keskeinen

[adjective]

(pivotal)
musiikki

[noun]

(music)

“Musiikki” (music) is one of those few Finnish words that have the same origin as their English translations.
ääni

[noun]

(sound)
taloudellinen

[adjective]

(economic)
toisaalta

[adverb]

(on the other hand)
minuutti

[noun]

(minute)
erityinen

[adjective]

(special)
selvästi

[adverb]

(clearly)
toimi

[noun]

(action)
toimittaa

[verb]

(deliver)
kokea

[verb]

(to experience)
laitos

[noun]

(institution)
pyytää

[verb]

(to request)
sarja

[noun]

(series)
ilta

[noun]

(evening)
laaja

[adjective]

(wide)
huolimatta

[postposition]

(despite)
vastaa

[verb]
vastuu

[noun]

(responsibility)
paikallinen

[adjective]

(local)
kevät

[noun]

(spring)
kysyä

[verb]

(to ask)
poika

[noun]

(son)
alkaen

[adverb]
esiintyä

[verb]
elokuva

[noun]

(movie)

This Finnish word is a combination of the word “elo” which means “life” and the word “kuva” which means “picture”.
presidentti

[noun]

(president)
tutkia

[verb]
tosin

[adverb]

(although)
suunnittelu

[noun]

(design)
sata

[numeral]

(hundred)
jatko

[noun]
tekninen

[adjective]

(technical)
kuulla

[verb]

(to hear)
ehdotus

[noun]

(proposal)
äiti

[noun]

(mother)
ulkomaa

[noun]

(abroad)

This Finnish noun is formed by adding the prefix “ulko-” meaning “outer”, or “external” to the noun « maa » meaning “country”.
asukas

[noun]

(resident)
muoto

[noun]

(form)
verrata

[verb]

(to compare)
vara

[noun]
kovin

[adverb]
merkitä

[verb]

(to subscribe)
ruoka

[noun]

(food)
no

[interjection]
selvä

[adjective]

(clear)
ajatella

[verb]

(to think)
toimitusjohtaja

[noun]

(managing director)
kulkea

[verb]
todellinen

[adjective]

(real)
päälle

[noun]
esitellä

[verb]

(to introduce)
vapaa

[adjective]

(free)
kuvata

[verb]

(to describe)
kohde

[noun]

(target)
tutustua

[verb]

(to meet)
kuolla

[verb]

(to die)
vero

[noun]

(tax)
valmistaa

[verb]

(prepare)
kilometri

[noun]

(kilometer)
liikenne

[noun]

(traffic)
markkinat

[noun]

(fair)
isä

[noun]

(father)
kuka

[pronoun]

(who)
etsiä

[verb]

(to search)
samoin

[adverb]

(likewise)
huomata

[verb]

(note)
poliittinen

[adjective]

(political)
ajatus

[noun]

(thought)
luokka

[noun]

(class)
henki

[noun]

(spirit)
yksityinen

[adjective]

(private)
kohti

[preposition]

(towards)
kansalainen

[noun]

(citizen)
laatu

[noun]

(quality)
alla

[adverb]

(below)
saakka

[postposition]

(until)
kunto

[noun]

(condition)
toimittaja

[noun]

(supplier)
pelaaja

[noun]

(player)
nousu

[noun]

(rise)
kone

[noun]

(machine)
avata

[verb]

(to open)
laatia

[verb]
koira

[noun]

(dog)
osasto

[noun]

(department)
tavallinen

[adjective]

(usual)
käsittely

[noun]

(handling)
myötä

[adverb]
vahva

[adjective]

(strong)
lasku

[noun]

(decrease)
siirtää

[verb]

(to transfer)
kirjasto

[noun]

(library)

The Finnish word “kirjasto” (which means “library”) is derived from the word “kirja” which means “book”.
vahvistaa

[verb]

(confirm)
jälleen

[adverb]

(again)
sota

[noun]

(war)
voima

[noun]

(force)
varsin

[adverb]

(quite)
tiistai

[noun]

(Tuesday)
tuotanto

[noun]

(production)
suunnitelma

[noun]

(plan)
omistaa

[verb]

(to own)
lähinnä

[adverb]

(mostly)
vähentää

[verb]

(reduce)
kutsua

[verb]

(to invite)
varsinkin

[adverb]

(especially)
aikoa

[verb]

(to intend to)
varsinainen

[adjective]

(actual)
täytyä

[verb]

(have to)
velka

[noun]

(debt)
piste

[noun]

(point)
kerätä

[verb]

(to collect)
tuttu

[adjective]

(familiar)
maanantai

[noun]

(monday)
puuttua

[verb]

(to intervene)
sosiaalinen

[adjective]

(social)
teksti

[noun]

(text)
eniten

[adverb]

(the most)
kokonaan

[adverb]

(fully)
tutkija

[noun]

(researcher)
mahdollisimman

[adjective]
paha

[adjective]

(evil)
tahansa

[adverb]
sinne

[adverb]

(there)
yhdistys

[noun]

(association)
muodostaa

[verb]
selvitys

[noun]
lähtien

[postposition]

(since)
silmä

[noun]

(eye)
tällöin

[adverb]
puolestaan

[adverb]
vähemmän

[adverb]

(less)
lääkäri

[noun]

(doctor)
vastaus

[noun]

(answer)
keino

[noun]

(means)
eräs

[pronoun]

(one)
puolesta

[adjective]
kappale

[noun]

(piece)
luonto

[noun]

(nature)

The Finnish word “luonto” (which means “nature”) is derived from the verb “luoda” (to create).
ainoastaan

[adverb]

(only)
tulo

[noun]

(product)
riittävä

[adjective]

(sufficient)
lopulta

[adverb]

(eventually)
valmistua

[verb]

(to graduate)
parantaa

[verb]

(to improve)
torstai

[noun]

(Thursday)
oppilas

[noun]

(pupil)
toivoa

[verb]

(wish)
uudelleen

[adverb]

(again)
pitkään

[adverb]
perinteinen

[adjective]

(traditional)
pian

[adverb]

(soon)
ehtiä

[verb]
muistuttaa

[verb]
paitsi

[adverb]

(except)
keskiviikko

[noun]

(wednesday)
laite

[noun]

(device)
media

[noun]

(media)
edellä

[adverb]

(above)
edustaa

[verb]

(to represent)
valo

[noun]

(light)
Antti

[proper noun]

“Antti” is one of the most common Finnish male names. It is covered in this guide to Finnish male names.
varmaan

[adverb]

(probably)
palata

[verb]

(to return)
poistaa

[verb]

(to remove)
toki

[adverb]

(sure)
Joensuu

[proper noun]

This is the name of a city in Finland.
vastaava

[adjective]
miettiä

[verb]
noudattaa

[verb]

(follow)
Ranska

[proper noun]

(France)
maksu

[noun]

(payment)
erä

[noun]

(batch)
kisa

[noun]

(competition)
politiikka

[noun]

(policy)
ohje

[noun]

(instruction)
kesken

[preposition]
Kiina

[proper noun]
rooli

[noun]

(role)
vetää

[verb]

(to pull)
edessä

[postposition]

(in front of)
toukokuu

[noun]

(may)
teos

[noun]

(work)
vaatimus

[noun]

(requirement)
lisääntyä

[verb]

(to increase)
asiantuntija

[noun]

(expert)
tilaisuus

[noun]

(opportunity)
Juha

[proper noun]

Juha is a Finnish male name.
Matti

[proper noun]

Matti is a common Finnish male name. It is covered in this guide to Finnish boy names.
merkki

[noun]

(mark)
syödä

[verb]

(to eat)
maaliskuu

[noun]

(march)
valtuusto

[noun]

(council)
puu

[noun]

(tree, wood)
yö

[noun]

(night)

This word is similar to the Estonian word öö which also means “night”. These two languages belong to the same linguistic family: the Uralic languages. For more on this, see this comparison of Finnish and Estonian.
keskittyä

[verb]

(to to concentrate)
työnantaja

[noun]

(employer)

“Työnantaja”, the Finnish word for employer, combines the terms “työ” (work) and “antaja” (giver).
esimerkki

[noun]

(example)
omistaja

[noun]

(owner)
turha

[adjective]

(useless)
myöskään

[adverb]
kukin

[pronoun]

(each)
seuraus

[noun]

(consequence)
vaihtaa

[verb]

(to change)
takana

[adverb]

(behind)
saapua

[verb]

(to arrive)
estää

[verb]

(to prevent)
piiri

[noun]
kyseinen

[adjective]
etenkin

[adverb]

(especially)
ansio

[noun]

(merit, income)
yleisö

[noun]

(audience)
Timo

[proper noun]

Timo is a Finnish male name. It corresponds to the English name Timothy.
laji

[noun]

(species)
metsä

[noun]

(forest)
nopea

[adjective]

(fast)
Pekka

[proper noun]

Pekka is a Finnish male name.
valinta

[noun]

(selection)
liikkua

[verb]

(to move)
soittaa

[verb]

(call)
sairaala

[noun]

(hospital)
numero

[noun]

(number)
lopettaa

[verb]

(to stop)
tausta

[noun]

(background)
hankkia

[verb]

(to acquire)
aikuinen

[noun]

(adult)
vuosittain

[adverb]

(annually)
huhtikuu

[noun]

(April)
nykyään

[adverb]

(today)
aikaisemmin

[adverb]

(earlier)
sisällä

[adverb]

(indoors)
kirjoittaja

[noun]

(writer)
Ukraina

[proper noun]

(Ukraine)
saavuttaa

[verb]

(to reach)
tietty

[adjective]

(certain)
rahoitus

[noun]

(funding)
anonyymi

[adjective]

(anonymous)
näkökulma

[noun]

(perspective)

The Finnish word “näkökulma” means “perspective.” It combines the terms “näkö” (vision) and “kulma” (angle).
ry

[noun]
potilas

[noun]

(patient)
valta

[noun]

(power)
virka

[noun]
eduskunta

[noun]
kylä

[noun]

(village)
normaali

[adjective]

(normal)
kansallinen

[adjective]

(national)
henkilökohtainen

[adjective]

(personal)
nykyisin

[adverb]

(nowadays)
tietysti

[adverb]

(of course)
elokuu

[noun]

(august)

elokuu is a compound formed from the words elo (which can mean “crop” or “life”) and kuu (“month”).
energia

[noun]

(energy)
pohtia

[verb]
korostaa

[verb]

(highlight)
professori

[noun]

(professor)
opinto

[noun]
melko

[adverb]

(quite)
tammikuu

[noun]

(January)
kehittyä

[verb]
työskennellä

[verb]

(to work)
laina

[noun]

(loan)
viranomainen

[noun]
materiaali

[noun]

(material)
yhtään

[adverb]
yhteisö

[noun]

(community)
tyttö

[noun]

(girl)
sähköposti

[noun]

(e-mail)

Instead of borrowing the English word “email,” the Finnish language has coined its own: “sähköposti,” a term formed by combining the prefix “sähkö-” (which means “electric” or “electronic”) with the word “posti” (which means “mail”).
lautakunta

[noun]

(board)
jatkuvasti

[adverb]

(continually)
erillinen

[adjective]

(separate)
henkilöstö

[noun]

(personnel)

The word henkilöstö is formed from henkilö (which means “person”) by adding the derivational suffix -stö which creates nouns referring to a collection of instances.
linja

[noun]

(line)
selvitä

[verb]
pääministeri

[noun]

(prime minister)
muodostua

[verb]

(to form)
aineisto

[noun]

(material)
syyskuu

[noun]

(september)
ilmainen

[adjective]

(free)
lausunto

[noun]

(statement)
kiinteistö

[noun]
etusivu

[noun]

(front page)
pinta

[noun]

(surface)
mahdollistaa

[verb]

(enable)
molemmat

[pronoun]

(both)
ura

[noun]

(career)
talvi

[noun]

(winter)
viettää

[verb]

(spend)
tarina

[noun]

(story)
maakunta

[noun]

(province)
kenttä

[noun]

(field)
lähellä

[preposition]

(near)
runsaasti

[adverb]
arvio

[noun]

(estimate)
kunnanhallitus

[noun]
sijoittaa

[verb]

(place)
keskustella

[verb]
lukio

[noun]
ulos

[adverb]

(out)
työryhmä

[noun]

(working group)
esiin

[adverb]

(out)
sieltä

[adverb]

(from there)
hieno

[adjective]

(fine)
verkko

[noun]

(network)
tuhat

[numeral]

(thousand)
periaate

[noun]

(principle)
Espoo

[proper noun]

Espoo is the name of a city which is located in the south of Finland.
kiinnostaa

[verb]

(to interest)
Loviisa

[proper noun]

Loviisa is a Finnish female name. For more examples, see this guide to Finnish girl names
helmikuu

[noun]

(February)

“Helmikuu” is the Finnish word for “February.”. This term combines the words “helmi” (pearl) and “kuu” (month).
osaaminen

[noun]
ilmestyä

[verb]

(appear)
hallinta

[noun]
kärsiä

[verb]
pelkästään

[adverb]

(only)
monipuolinen

[adjective]

(versatile)
huomattavasti

[adverb]

(notably)
yrittäjä

[noun]

(entrepreneur)
liite

[noun]

(appendix)
huolehtia

[verb]
ainakaan

[adverb]
ystävä

[noun]

(friend)
riippua

[verb]

(to depend)
onneksi

[adverb]

(fortunately)
sisältyä

[verb]
Jyväskylä

[proper noun]

Jyväskylä is the name of a city in Finland.
yhdistää

[verb]
hallita

[verb]

(reign)
sisäinen

[adjective]

(internal)
idea

[noun]

(idea)
kokonaisuus

[noun]

(whole)
meno

[noun]

(going)
marraskuu

[noun]

(November)
kotimainen

[adjective]

(domestic)
edistää

[verb]

(to promote)
hyöty

[noun]

(benefit)
varata

[verb]

(book)
ryhtyä

[verb]

(start)
levy

[noun]

(plate)
liike

[noun]

(movement)
venäläinen

[adjective]

(russian)
sattua

[verb]

(occur)
istua

[verb]

(to sit)
ympäri

[preposition]
eteenpäin

[adverb]

(ahead)
turvallisuus

[noun]

(safety)
teollisuus

[noun]

(industry)
aine

[noun]

(substance)
jakso

[noun]

(period)
suhteen

[postposition]

(regarding)
seitsemän

[numeral]

(seven)
kiinnittää

[verb]

(fix)
varmistaa

[verb]
korvata

[verb]

(to replace)
artikkeli

[noun]

(article)
vaalit

[noun]
taito

[noun]

(skill)
hyödyntää

[verb]

(utilize)
kohtaan

[postposition]

(towards)
homma

[noun]
riski

[noun]

(risk)
toisin

[adverb]

(otherwise)
Lahti

[proper noun]

This word is the name of a city in Finland.
ehto

[noun]

(condition)
Mikko

[proper noun]

Mikko is a Finnish male name. It corresponds to the English name “Michael”.
taitaa

[verb]

(to know)
määritellä

[verb]

(to define)
opiskelu

[noun]

(study)
sopiva

[adjective]

(suitable)
järjestö

[noun]

(organization)
sääntö

[noun]

(rule)
esille

[adverb]

(up)
kauan

[adverb]

(long)
yksittäinen

[adjective]

(single)
ilmoitus

[noun]

(advertisement)
painaa

[verb]

(press)
Kuopio

[proper noun]

Kuopio is the name of a city in Finland.
ilmeisesti

[adverb]

(apparently)
uutinen

[noun]

(news)
yksin

[adverb]

(alone)
havaita

[verb]

(detect)
tunnettu

[adjective]

(known)
lokakuu

[noun]

(october)

“Lokakuu” is the Finnish word for the month of “October” in English. It combines the terms “loka” (mud) and “kuu” (month).
kuluttaja

[noun]

(consumer)
edellytys

[noun]

(prerequisite)
loppua

[verb]

(to end)
keskimäärin

[adverb]

(on average)
Vantaa

[proper noun]

Vantaa is the name of a city located in the south of Finland.
toistaiseksi

[adverb]
todennäköisesti

[adverb]

(likely)
vanhempi

[noun]

(parent)
äänestää

[verb]

(to vote)
Kari

[proper noun]
millainen

[adjective]

(what kind)
arviointi

[noun]

(evaluation)
terveys

[noun]

(health)
toteuttaminen

[noun]

(realization)
video

[noun]

(video)
oppia

[verb]

(to learn)
kesäkuu

[noun]

(june)

“Kesäkuu” is the Finnish word for the month of June. It combines the terms “kesä” (summer) and “kuu” (month). And indeed, the month of June contains the first day of summer.
kerro

[verb]
Sipilä

[proper noun]
ominaisuus

[noun]

(quality)
kansanedustaja

[noun]
avoin

[adjective]

(open)
työelämä

[noun]

(working life)

The Finnish word “työelämä” means “working life.” It combines the terms “työ” (work) and “elämä” (life), both of which appear on their own in this Finnish frequency dictionary.
ranta

[noun]

(shore)
unioni

[noun]

(union)
kotimaa

[noun]

(homeland)

This Finnish compound word is a combination of koti (which means “home”) and maa (which means “country”).
rakenne

[noun]

(structure)
säilyä

[verb]

(last)
liikaa

[adverb]

(too much)
henkilökunta

[noun]

(staff)

The Finnish word “henkilökunta” refers to staff and employees. This is a compound term formed by combining “henkilö” (person) and “kunta” (municipality).
ovi

[noun]

(door)
kuolema

[noun]

(death)
mukava

[adjective]

(nice)
hyvinvointi

[noun]

(well-being)

Like so many Finnish vocabulary words, “hyvinvointi” (which means “welfare” and “wellbeing”) is a compound term. It combines the terms “hyvin” (well) and “vointi” (condition, health). The importance that Finland places on the welfare of its citizens is reflected in the country’s high rankings on the World Happiness Report and the Human Development Index.
näkemys

[noun]

(view)
sektori

[noun]

(sector)
tavara

[noun]

(goods)
lista

[noun]

(list)
kotona

[adverb]

(at home)
erikseen

[adverb]

(separately)
kaveri

[noun]

(guy)
tontti

[noun]

(plot)
aamu

[noun]

(morning)
luku

[noun]

(number)
kierros

[noun]

(round)
ravintola

[noun]

(restaurant)
kokoomus

[noun]

(coalition)
päin

[adverb]
joulukuu

[noun]

(December)

joulukuu is a compound word which combines joulu (“Christmas”) and kuu (“month”).
musta

[adjective]

(black)
epäillä

[verb]

(suspect)
koostua

[verb]

(to consist of)
varma

[adjective]

(sure)
herättää

[verb]
toimisto

[noun]

(office)
väli

[noun]

(space)
päällä

[adverb]

(on)
pakko

[noun]
vauhti

[noun]

(velocity)
kahdeksan

[numeral]

(eight)
palauttaa

[verb]

(to return)
Jukka

[proper noun]
opiskella

[verb]

(study)
menettää

[verb]

(to lose)
toimenpide

[noun]
kaikkiaan

[adverb]

(altogether)
dollari

[noun]

(dollar)
käynti

[noun]
huoli

[noun]

(worry)
oikeasti

[adverb]

(for real)
toteutua

[verb]

(be realized)
kunnes

[conjunction]

(until)
välttämättä

[adverb]

(necessarily)
korko

[noun]

(interest)
lippu

[noun]

(flag)
suora

[adjective]

(direct)
taho

[noun]
hallinto

[noun]

(administration)
voimassa

[adverb]

(in force)
ehdottaa

[verb]

(propose)
valmentaja

[noun]

(coach)
tuskin

[adverb]

(hardly)
pelkkä

[adjective]

(mere)
liikevaihto

[noun]

(revenue)
reilu

[adjective]

(fair)
aiheutua

[verb]
milloin

[adverb]

(when)
tavata

[verb]

(to meet)
toimiala

[noun]

(industry)
kasvattaa

[verb]

(to grow)
vihreä

[adjective]

(green)

The Finnish word “vihreä” (which means “green”) made it onto this list of the thousand most common words, while the word “sininen” (which means “blue”) didn’t — despite being a color of the Finnish flag. The reason is probably because green is connected with ecology, which makes it a frequently used term.
tähti

[noun]

(star)

The Finnish word “tähti” means “star.” Like its English equivalent, this term has a meaning that covers the stars in the sky as well as celebrities.
tarjolla

[adverb]
korjata

[verb]

(to fix)
väittää

[verb]

(to claim)
haastattelu

[noun]

(interview)
kohdistua

[verb]
puhe

[noun]

(speech)
ohi

[adverb]

(past)
ohjata

[verb]

(control)
säilyttää

[verb]

(to retain)
Norja

[proper noun]
seutu

[noun]

(region)
määrätä

[verb]

(determine)
Espanja

[proper noun]
Italia

[proper noun]
raportti

[noun]
tyytyväinen

[adjective]

(pleased)
eläin

[noun]

(animal)
enintään

[adverb]

(at most)
viikonloppu

[noun]

(weekend)
seurakunta

[noun]

(parish)
piha

[noun]

(yard)
jatkuva

[adjective]

(continuous)
viimeistään

[adverb]

(at the latest)
kattaa

[verb]

(to cover)
organisaatio

[noun]

(organization)
Mikkeli

[proper noun]
mitä

[pronoun]

(what)
Viro

[proper noun]
nauttia

[verb]
yhteen

[adverb]

(together)
versio

[noun]

(version)
aste

[noun]

(degree)
liittää

[verb]

(attach)
teko

[noun]

(act)
tappio

[noun]

(defeat)
mahdollisesti

[adverb]

(possibly)
eteen

[postposition]

(in front of)
valvonta

[noun]

(monitoring)
Kouvola

[proper noun]
terveydenhuolto

[noun]

(health care)
tietenkin

[adverb]

(of course)
edetä

[verb]

(proceed)
totuus

[noun]

(truth)
käsitys

[noun]
Jussi

[proper noun]
jalka

[noun]

(foot)
eilen

[adverb]

(yesterday)
tutkinto

[noun]
muualla

[adverb]

(elsewhere)
virhe

[noun]

(error)
Yle

[proper noun]
ylittää

[verb]

(to exceed)
virallinen

[adjective]

(official)
Jari

[proper noun]
näyttely

[noun]

(show)
väri

[noun]

(color)
rauha

[noun]

(peace)
paljastaa

[verb]

(to reveal)
kriisi

[noun]

(crisis)
ilma

[noun]

(air)
kokeilla

[verb]
ohjaus

[noun]

(control)
neljäs

[adjective]

(fourth)
sivusto

[noun]

(site)
melkein

[adverb]

(almost)
järjestäminen

[noun]
talousarvio

[noun]

(budget)
prosessi

[noun]

(process)
soveltua

[verb]
turvallinen

[adjective]

(safe)
hävitä

[verb]

(vanish)
kuljettaja

[noun]

(driver)
väärä

[adjective]

(wrong)
heinäkuu

[noun]

(july)

“Heinäkuu”, the Finnish word for the month of July, combines the terms “heinä” (hay) and “kuu” (month).
aluksi

[adverb]

(in the beginning)
valtakunnallinen

[adjective]
tyhjä

[adjective]

(blank)
korvaus

[noun]

(compensation)
keskellä

[preposition]

(in the middle)
tekniikka

[noun]

(technique)
ohella

[postposition]

(alongside)
todellisuus

[noun]

(reality)
kallis

[adjective]

(expensive)
ratkaista

[verb]

(to solve)
samanlainen

[adjective]

(similar)
punainen

[adjective]

(red)
helpottaa

[verb]

(facilitate)
Heikki

[proper noun]
vaara

[noun]

(danger)
museo

[noun]

(museum)
kysyntä

[noun]

(demand)
luvata

[verb]

(to promise)
Pori

[proper noun]
kertyä

[verb]

(accrue)
hakemus

[noun]

(application)
ulkopuolella

[noun]

(outside)
vaihdella

[verb]

(to vary)
tarkastella

[verb]
selkeä

[adjective]

(clear)
Lappi

[proper noun]
alkuperäinen

[adjective]

(original)
kuvaus

[noun]

(description)
olo

[noun]
positiivinen

[adjective]

(positive)
tarkistaa

[verb]

(to check)
ikä

[noun]

(age)
ohjaaja

[noun]

(director)
viimeksi

[adverb]

(last)
saksalainen

[adjective]

(german)
sähkö

[noun]

(electricity)
neuvottelu

[noun]

(negotiation)
puhelin

[noun]

(phone)

The Finnish word for “phone” (which is “puhelin”) is related to the verb “puhua” (which means “to talk”).
pallo

[noun]

(ball)
tunne

[noun]

(feeling)
oppiminen

[noun]

(learning)
ilmetä

[verb]
toivottavasti

[adverb]

(hopefully)
kulu

[noun]

(expense)
mm

[noun]
tietokone

[noun]

(computer)

The Finnish word “Tietokone” (which means “computer”) combines the terms “tieto” (information) and “kone” (machine).
Mika

[proper noun]