10 Longest Finnish Words

by Erica Sunarjo

Languages are simply amazing. They are the representation of all the micro-worlds and diversity in the world. Each language brings something new to the table and manages to surprise the non-native speakers.

Finnish is one of the two official languages of Finland. Around 4.5 million people speak it as their native language. However, we're not here to learn about the origin or history of Finnish. We're here to take a look at the10 longest words of Finnish! Get ready to be blown away by the complexity and humor behind these words (and trying to pronounce them!)

10. Jauhelihakeitto

We're starting from the simplest ones. This is a Finnish dish, translated by WordDive as "minced meat soup".

A piece of cake, right?

9. Hyppytyynytyydytys

Thanks to The Culture Trip we now know how to say "bouncy cushion satisfaction" in Finnish!

8. Juoksentelisinkohan

Have you ever "wondered if you should run around aimlessly"? We sure have!

Well, in Finnish, you can wonder all you want…all you need is this one word. Isn't Finnish the best?

7. Käsipyyherullajärjestelmä

Google Translate says this word means " hand towel roll system". Sounds reasonable.

It's only 25 letters long. Plus, you might actually use it in everyday speech.

6. Kolmivaihekilowattituntimittari

According to Glosbe, the definition of this word is "three-phase electricity meter". It's basically the thing we use to measure the amount of electrical energy we consume.

Such a long word for such a simple thing!

5. Peruspalveluliikelaitoskuntayhtymä

In Finnish, you can say "a public utility of a municipal federation for provision of basic services" using only one word…of 34 letters. We know you didn't even try pronouncing it or attempt to decipher what on Earth does it actually mean.

4. Äteritsiputeritsipuolilautatsijänkä

This is the longest place name in Finnish. It's a 35-letter long name of a region in Lapland. Fantastic, isn't it?

3. Suihkuturbiinimoottoriasentajaoppilas

Obviously, "jet turbine motor mechanic student" is a thing in Finland.

2. Epäjärjestelmällistyttämättömyydellänsäkäänköhän

Just imagine playing Scrabble in Finland! This word stands for " I wonder if – even with his/her quality of not having been made non-systematized"- says Wikipedia.

1. Lentokonesuihkuturbiinimoottoriapumekaanikkoaliupseerioppilas

We have a winner! This word has 61 letters. Can you imagine using this in everyday speech?

Well, judging by its translation, you won't be using it every day after all. It means: "airplane jet turbine engine auxiliary mechanic non-commissioned officer student" according to Wikipedia.

Conclusion

Even though this whole conundrum of words might have scared you, we assure you that learning Finnish is not as hard as it seems. You'd have to deal with some seriously long compounds, but it's not impossible.

In the meantime, you can use translation services such as The Word Point to help you grasp the basics of the language. Good luck and have fun learning!

About the writer

Erica Sunarjo graduated from South Texas College majoring in Marketing and Creative Writing. She used her knowledge to make a difference in the realm of business copywriting and invested heavily in traveling and language learning. At present, Erica is fluent in French and Spanish, studying Chinese and working her way to being a multilingual copywriter. She keeps track of the latest trends in IT and technologies, blogs about efficient strategies in education and business coaching, holds educational webinars.

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