rakkaus
/ˈrɑkːɑus/
The English word 'love' is translated into Finnish as rakkaus.
rakkaus is a noun referring to the concept of strong affection. While rakkaus is the abstract noun, the adjective rakas is used to describe a beloved person or someone dear. If you want to express the action of loving someone or something, you would use the verb rakastaa. For more casual expressions of being strongly inclined towards something, you can use pitää paljon or pitää kovasti. In a euphemistic sense, phrases like mennä sänkyyn jnk kanssa or rakastella jnk kanssa are used to mean having sex with someone.
Meaning: strong affection (noun)
Which one should you use?
rakkaus is the noun used to name the concept of love, whereas rakastaa is the verb used to describe the act of loving.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun rakkaus changes form depending on its role in a sentence. To say 'of love', use the genitive form rakkauden. When expressing an unspecified amount of love or using certain grammatical constructions, use the partitive form rakkautta.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈrɑkːɑus/
When do people say it?
Finnish speakers use several endearing terms for loved ones. Rakas can be used to mean 'my love', and kulta is a common term meaning 'honey' or 'sweetheart'.
Did you know?
- Finnish has a specific word kaipaus for the longing or yearning that often accompanies rakkaus, which has no single-word equivalent in English.
- Unlike English, where 'love' can be used for everything from pizza to partners, Finnish typically reserves rakastaa for people and uses pitää for things.
- The common term of endearment kulta literally translates to 'gold', reflecting the value the speaker places on the loved one.
Examples in context
- Rakkaus on kaunis asia.Love is a beautiful thing.This sentence demonstrates how to use rakkaus as a subject.Tatoeba #5426320 by Orava, translation #2644526 by CK
- Tiedätkö, mitä on rakkaus?Do you know what love is?This sentence uses rakkaus within a question.Tatoeba #5351040 by Orava, translation #2126162 by CM
- Rakkaus on teinejä varten.Love is for teenagers.This sentence uses rakkaus to describe a target audience.Tatoeba #5871173 by Silja, translation #5857216 by OsoHombre
- Rakkaus on kaiken suurin voima.Love is the greatest force of all.
- Minä rakastan sinuaI love you.
- Rakastan sinua enemmän kuin mitään muuta maailmassaI love you more than anything else in the world.
- Hyvää yötä, rakasGoodnight, my love.
- Hei, kulta!Hey, sweetheart!
- 59 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Emma and Matti are discussing their relationship in a park.
- EmmaMeidän välillä on suurta rakkautta.There is a great love between us.
- MattiMinäkin tunnen saman, Emma.I feel the same, Emma.
- EmmaRakkaus tekee minut onnelliseksi.Love makes me happy.
- MattiSe tekee minutkin.It makes me happy too.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “love” translations and entries rakkaus, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
