lehmä
/ˈlehmæ/
The Finnish word for cow is lehmä.
The word lehmä refers to the adult female of the species Bos taurus. In Finnish, the sound a cow makes is expressed as amuu (to moo).
Meaning: adult female of species Bos taurus (noun)
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The word lehmä changes its form depending on its role in a sentence. The genitive form, meaning "of the cow", is lehmän. The allative form, meaning "to the cow", is lehmälle, while the plural allative form "to the cows" is lehmille. The plural nominative form, "cows", is lehmät. When the cow is the object of an ongoing action or when referring to an unspecified amount, you use the partitive form lehmää.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈlehmæ/
Did you know?
- The word lehmä may share an ancient root with the Erzya word for 'horse', suggesting that originally, the term described any large domesticated animal rather than specifically a cow.
- Because the word lehmä is so central to Finnish history, the size and health of a farmer's cows were once used as a primary measure of a farm's wealth and success.
- In Finnish folklore and nursery rhymes, the lehmä is frequently paired with its calf, the vasikka, to illustrate the concept of a mother's protective bond.
Examples in context
- Hän osaa lypsää lehmää.He knows how to milk a cow.This sentence shows how to use the partitive form lehmää.Tatoeba #3775978 by Silja, translation #1751891 by Amastan
- Lehmällä on pitkä häntä.A cow has a long tail.Tatoeba #9846128 by Johannes_S, translation #1739389 by Amastan
- "Ammuu, ammuu" sanoi lehmä."Moo, moo," said the cow.This sentence shows the nominative form lehmä.Tatoeba #3075326 by Kalle63, translation #2216498 by Hybrid
- Maailman väkiluku ei riittäisi ruokkimaan kaikkia lehmiä.The world's population wouldn't be enough to feed all the cows.
- Nautakarja on tärkeä osa Suomen maataloutta.Cattle farming is an important part of Finnish agriculture.
- Kävimme katsomassa lehmiä lähitilalla.We went to see the cows at the nearby farm.
- Suomessa on paljon maitotiloja, joilla pidetään lehmiä.There are many dairy farms in Finland where cows are kept.
- 23 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Anna and Matti are looking at a farm from a distance.
- AnnaKatso, tuolla on lehmä!Look, there is a cow over there!
- MattiOnko se Anna sinun lehmäsi?Is that your cow, Anna?
- AnnaEi, se ei ole minun.No, it is not mine.
- MattiSe näyttää hyvin rauhalliselta.It looks very peaceful.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “cow” translations and entries lehmä, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries lehmä, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
