Language/Finnish/Grammar/Alphabet-and-Pronunciation
Introduction
Hei! Tervetuloa suomen kielen oppitunnille! (Hello! Welcome to Finnish language class!) I have been teaching Finnish for 20 years and I'm excited to help you learn this beautiful language. Finnish may seem daunting at first, but with a little practice and patience, you'll be able to speak and understand it in no time! This lesson will focus on the Finnish alphabet and pronunciation rules.
The Finnish Alphabet
The Finnish alphabet consists of 29 letters, including å, ä, and ö. The letters q, w, x, and z do not exist in the Finnish alphabet. Unlike in English, the letters are pronounced consistently, meaning that you can read Finnish words aloud even if you don't know what they mean.
Here is the Finnish alphabet with its pronunciation:
| Finnish | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| A, a | ah | Like the 'a' in 'father' |
| B, b | bee | Like the 'b' in 'be' |
| C, c | see | Like the 'c' in 'cat'. Used only in loan words, mainly names and acronyms. |
| D, d | dee | Like the 'd' in 'day' |
| E, e | eh | Like the 'e' in 'get' |
| F, f | äf | Pronounced as /f/ in most contexts, a voiced labiodental fricative (/v/ or /ʋ/) in loan words and proper names, like Finnish surnames beginning with P. |
| G, g | gee | Like the 'g' in 'get' |
| H, h | hoo | Like the 'h' in 'house' |
| I, i | ee | Like the 'ee' in 'seen' |
| J, j | jee | Pronounced like the 'y' in 'yes', but less rounded and with the tongue further forward |
| K, k | kah | Like the 'k' in 'kite' |
| L, l | ell | Like the 'l' in 'let' |
| M, m | äm | Like the 'm' in 'mat' |
| N, n | än | Like the 'n' in 'not' |
| O, o | oh | Like the 'o' in 'go' |
| P, p | pee | Like the 'p' in 'see' |
| Q, q | kuu | Not in general use in Finnish, existing only in a few loan words, such as 'kvaasi' |
| R, r | err | Rolled 'r', similar to the Spanish 'r' |
| S, s | ess | Like the 's' in 'see' |
| T, t | tee | Like the 't' in 'tea' |
| U, u | uu | Like the 'oo' in 'boot' |
| V, v | vee | Pronounced as /ʋ/, a labiodental approximant, which is close to /v/ |
| W, w | kah-vee | Not in use in Finnish, existing only in a few loan words, such as the names 'Waltteri' and 'Wanda' |
| X, x | iks | Not in general use in Finnish, existing only in a few loan words, such as 'eksyä' |
| Y, y | ypsilon | Like the 'y' in 'yoyo' |
| Z, z | sett | Not in general use in Finnish, existing only in a few loan words, such as 'zigotti' |
| Å, å | ooh with a rounded mouth and then an 'ah' | Close to the 'a' sound in 'law' |
| Ä, ä | e with a rounded mouth | Close to the 'ea' sound in 'bread' |
| Ö, ö | eu with a rounded mouth | Close to the 'i' sound in 'bird' |
Remember that Finnish letters are pronounced consistently, which means that once you know the pronunciation of each letter, you'll be able to pronounce any Finnish word correctly.
Pronunciation Rules
Now that you know the Finnish alphabet, let's look at some pronunciation rules:
Vowels
Finnish has eight vowels: a, e, i, o, u, y, ä, and ö. Each vowel can be pronounced in a long or short form, but the difference in pronunciation is sometimes subtle. A good rule of thumb is that long vowels are held for two beats, while short vowels are held for one beat.
For example, in the word 'kissa' (cat), the 'i' is pronounced as a short vowel, while in the word 'kiitos' (thank you), the 'i' is pronounced as a long vowel.
Consonants
Finnish consonants are generally pronounced like their English counterparts, with a few exceptions:
- The letter 's' is pronounced as 'sh' before 'i' and 'y', as in the word 'sininen' (blue). - The letter 'v' is pronounced as a 'w' in some words, such as 'vesi' (water). - The letter 'r' is rolled.
Diphthongs
Finnish has a few diphthongs, which are two vowel sounds pronounced together as one syllable. The most common diphthongs in Finnish are 'ai' and 'oi'.
For example, in the word 'aito' (genuine), the letters 'ai' are pronounced as one syllable.
Practice
Now that you know the Finnish alphabet and some pronunciation rules, it's time to practice! Try reading some Finnish words out loud and pay attention to the sounds of the letters and the length of the vowels. A good place to start is by reading the news in Finnish or listening to Finnish music.
Here are some common Finnish words to practice on:
(Note: pronunciation guides included in parentheses)
- Kiitos (kee-tohss) - Thank you
- Moi (moy) - Hi/Bye
- Tervetuloa (tehr-veh-too-loh-ah) - Welcome
- Hyvää päivää (hy-vah pah-ih-vah) - Good day
Conclusion
Congratulations, you made it through our introduction to the Finnish alphabet and pronunciation rules! With a little bit of practice and patience, you'll be able to master the Finnish language in no time. In the next lesson, we will take a look at the basic sentence structure in Finnish, including subject-verb-object order and the use of cases, so be sure to check it out! Until then, onnea oppimiseen! (Good luck learning!)
Videos
Learn ALL Finnish Alphabet in 2 Minutes - How to Read and Write ...