Which one should you use?
While kuuma describes high temperature, you might encounter related terms like tulinen, which means fiery or hehkuva, which means glowing.
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective kuuma takes the partitive form kuumaa in specific grammatical constructions, such as when describing the weather or a general state in the phrase On kuumaa (It is hot).
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈkuːmɑ/
What mistakes should you avoid?
In Finnish, this can imply that you are physically hot to the touch or, more commonly, that you are sexually aroused. To express that you are feeling hot due to the temperature, use the construction 'Minulla on kuuma'.
When do people say it?
To describe extremely hot weather, you might hear the expression Kuuma kuin sauna (hot like a sauna). Another expression used to describe excessive heat is Hiki virtaa (sweat is flowing).
Did you know?
- Finnish has a distinct word tulinen for 'hot' when referring to the spiciness of food. While kuuma describes temperature, tulinen literally means 'fiery'.
- Saying Minä olen kuuma instead of Minulla on kuuma can be a risky mistake. The first suggests you are sexually aroused or attractive, while the second simply means you feel the heat.
- In Finnish, describing the weather as kuumaa requires the partitive case. This is because the heat is treated as an uncountable substance filling the air.
Examples in context
- Tom on aina kuuma.Tom is always hot.This sentence shows how to use kuuma to describe a person's temperature.Tatoeba #3262543 by Silja, translation #2765329 by arnxy20
- Tuo on niin kuuma.That is so hot.This sentence demonstrates using kuuma to describe an object.Tatoeba #11900781 by Johannes_S, translation #10049513 by espamatics
- Tänään on kuuma sää.It's hot today.This sentence shows how to use kuuma when talking about the weather.Tatoeba #2662215 by Silja, translation #242881 by CK
- Tänään on kuuma päiväToday is a hot day
- Kahvi on kuumaThe coffee is hot
- Tänään on kuuma kuin saunaIt's hot like a sauna today
- Hammasta vihloi terävä polteA sharp pain scorched my tooth
- Eilinen päivä oli tosi kuumaYesterday was really hot
- Tässä lähellä oleva kahvila on liian kuuma, hiki virtaaThe coffee shop nearby is too hot, sweat is flowing
- Mun mielestä chili on tosi tulinenIn my opinion, chili is really hot
- 108 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Sofia and Matti are in a cafe.
- SofiaTämä kahvi on todella kuuma.This coffee is really hot.
- MattiOle varovainen, se on kuuma.Be careful, it is hot.
- SofiaKiitos varoituksesta, Matti.Thanks for the warning, Matti.
- MattiOle hyvä, Sofia.You're welcome, Sofia.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “hot” translations and entries kuuma, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
