Containers in Finnish

So many different words for containers! Do you know what's the difference between these eight words:

1. aski
2. rasia
3. tölkki
4. purkki
5. paketti
6. laatikko
7. kotelo
8. pakkaus

Litran jäätelöpaketti. Kuva: K-ruoka.fi

Here are the answers:

1. Aski is a small cardboard box, often containing matches, (tulitikkuaski) salmiakki or cigarettes (tupakka-aski). 
2. Rasia can be of made of any material. I'd say that the most common rasia in a Finnish household is pakasterasia, a plastic freezing container. Pillerirasia is a pill box, korurasia is a jewellery box. 
3. Tölkki is usually a metal can for beer (oluttölkki), soft drinks (limsatölkki) and for example canned fruit (ananastölkki). 
4. Purkki can be made of any material, and it can contain both food and other stuff.  It can be tall like maitopurkki (it can also be maitotölkki) or smaller like an individual jogurttipurkki. A glass jar can be either lasipurkki or lasitölkki.
5. Paketti can be a package or a parcel. Gifts and presents are often wrapped into lahjapaketti. In Finland, ice cream usually comes in jäätelöpaketti. 
6. Laatikko is a box or a drawer, and also something else. 
7. Kotelo is a case as in silmälasikotelo, a glasses case, or viulukotelo, a violin case.
8. Pakkaus is just a container. In Finnish, it's used most commonly in äitiyspakkaus. 

About the author of Random Finnish Lesson: 

My name is Hanna Männikkölahti. I am a professional Finnish teacher who gives private online lessons and simplifies books into easy Finnish. Please read more in www.linktr.ee/hannamannikkolahti and follow this blog, if you want to be the first one to know when I post something new.