Thursday, August 10, 2017

Finnish slang words

Here's a list of words that I just heard in a radio show. (EDIT: I have heard them before, and most of the expressions are quite old, but I just happened to hear an interview where they were used.)  I understand all of them, but I don't think that I would ever use them in my normal speech. I'm a 40+ years old woman who has lived in Jyväskylä for the past 20 years, and before that I lived in Seinäjoki, so I don't really speak like the twenty-something young adults from Helsinki. (It's totally OK if someone else does! :)) Do you know what these words mean?

  1. duuni
  2. digata
  3. faija
  4. fiilis
  5. hima
  6. jengi
  7. leveli
  8. mutsi
  9. rela
  10. spessu




Here are the explanations and translations:

  1. duuni = työ - a work
  2. digata = kannustaa, tykätä jostain - to dig
  3. faija = isä - dad
  4. fiilis = tunnelma - a feeling
  5. hima = koti - a home
  6. jengi = ihmiset - the gang, the people
  7. leveli = taso - a level
  8. mutsi = äiti - mom
  9. rela = rento - relaxed
  10. spessu = erikoinen, erityinen - special

If I have no clue what people are saying, I check the words from Urbaani sanakirja. If you are interested in the slang that many people use in Helsinki, you might like Stadin slangi ry page.


Kiitos, kun luit! Jos pidit postauksesta, voit jakaa sen eteenpäin.
Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this post, feel free to share it. 
– Hanna

2 comments:

  1. GFFAugust 10, 2017 at 4:02 PM

    I think in Helsinki those words are used quite often

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    1. Random Finnish Lesson / Hanna MännikkölahtiAugust 10, 2017 at 5:23 PM

      I know! It wasn't the first time that I heard them either. :) It's kind of funny how some words just don't feel natural. However, I would probably easily say things like "Mä menin duunista himaan" if I lived in Helsinki for a year or two.:)

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