suomi
suomi is the Finnish word for the Finnish language.
suomi refers specifically to the Finnish language. It is also the Finnish name for the country of Finland.
Which one should you use?
While suomi is the name of the language, you should use suomalainen to refer to a Finnish person or to use the adjective 'Finnish' when describing people or things from Finland. To say 'in Finnish' (the language), use the adverbial form suomeksi.
How does it change in a sentence?
The genitive form suomen is used to express 'of Finnish' or to act as an adjective, such as in the phrase suomen kieli (the Finnish language). To express the language itself as an adverb (e.g., 'in Finnish'), use suomeksi.
Did you know?
- The word suomi is thought by some linguists to be related to the ancient word for 'swamp' or 'marshland', reflecting the landscape where the early inhabitants lived.
- While the country is called Suomi in Finnish, it is called Finland in English. The English name is actually a loanword from the Swedish name Finland, which means 'land of the Finns'.
- Because suomi is a Finno-Ugric word, it shares a deep structural history with Hungarian, despite the two languages sounding nothing alike to an English speaker.
Examples in context
- Suomea kutsutaan suomeksi nimellä ”Suomi”.Finland is called "Suomi" in Finnish.This sentence is useful for showing how to say that a place is called "Suomi" in the Finnish language using the form suomi.Tatoeba #4293169 by Silja, translation #1814627 by Amastan
- Suomi on kaunis kieli.Finnish is a beautiful language.
Example conversation
Mikko and Anna are talking about their language studies.
- MikkoOpiskeleeko Anna suomi?Is Anna studying Finnish?
- AnnaKyllä, suomi on hauska kieli.Yes, Finnish is a fun language.
- MikkoHaluan myös oppia suomi.I want to learn Finnish too.
- AnnaVoimme opiskella yhdessä!We can study together!
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
