pupu
/ˈpupu/
The Finnish phrase for "bunny rabbit" is pupu.
pupu is used to refer to a small rabbit, serving as a cute or childish term for the animal.
Which one should you use?
While pupu is a cute term for a small rabbit, the word jänis is the standard, more formal word used for a hare or rabbit.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
pupu is an informal diminutive and is considered cuter than the standard word jänis.
How does it change in a sentence?
If you need to use different grammatical forms, the genitive form (meaning "of the bunny") is pupun and the partitive plural form (meaning "bunnies") is pupuja.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈpupu/
Did you know?
- The word pupu is a back-formation from the verb puputtaa, meaning it was created from a word for an action rather than the other way around.
- Calling a romantic partner pupu in Finnish often feels silly or childish rather than romantic.
- In Finnish culture, the Easter Bunny is called pääsiäispupu, combining the word for Easter with the cute term pupu.
Examples in context
- Minulla on kaunis kani lemmikkinä.I have a beautiful bunny rabbit as a pet.
- Tuo pupu on niin söpö!That bunny rabbit is so cute!
- Pupu on todella söpö.The bunny rabbit is really cute.
- Lapsi haluaa leikkiä pupun kanssa.The child wants to play with the bunny rabbit.
- Piirretyssä on pieni pupu.There is a little bunny rabbit in the cartoon.
Example conversation
Matti and Emma are looking at a picture book.
- MattiKatso, tässä on pieni pupu!Look, here is a little bunny rabbit!
- EmmaSe on ihanan pehmeä pupu.It is a lovely soft bunny rabbit.
- MattiHaluatko sinä nähdä sen?Do you want to see it?
- EmmaKyllä, se on suloinen.Yes, it is adorable.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry pupu, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries pupu, CC BY-SA 4.0.
