Finnish

American  

[fin-ish] / ˈfɪn ɪʃ /

noun

1. the principal language of Finland, a Uralic language related closely to Estonian and remotely to Hungarian.

2. Finnic.

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adjective

1. of or relating to Finland or its inhabitants.

2. Finnic.

Finnish British  

/ ˈfɪnɪʃ /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of Finland, the Finns, or their language

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noun

1. the official language of Finland, also spoken in Estonia and NW Russia, belonging to the Finno-Ugric family

Other Word Forms

• anti-Finnish adjective
• pro-Finnish adjective

Etymology

Origin of Finnish

First recorded in 1780–90; Finn + -ish ¹

Example Sentences

Sofi Oksanen’s crystalline Finnish libretto, translated into multiple languages by Aleksi Barrière, Saariaho’s son, takes place on two levels that gradually meld into one.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 8, 2026

In a post on X, Finnish President Alexander Stubb said he had a “constructive discussion” with Trump on Wednesday about NATO.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 1, 2026

A Finnish startup claims to have perfected a revolutionary new battery.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 27, 2026

"We want to do our part to ensure Finnish society is able to function every day, regardless of the circumstances," says Kesko executive Jyrki Tomminen.

From BBC • Mar. 18, 2026

He was particularly taken with a book entitled The Myth of Progress, by Georg Henrik von Wright, a Finnish philosopher and successor to Ludwig Wittgenstein at the University of Cambridge.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady