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.

---

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

---

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

The project is a collaboration between the university hospitals of Helsinki, Kuopio and Turku, Hatanpää Hospital in Tampere, Hospital Nova in Jyväskylä and the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare.

From Science Daily • May 6, 2026

It would also mark the first time a song performed in Finnish won, Eurovision expert Muurinen noted.

From Barron's • Apr. 30, 2026

“The primary suite on the first floor features a 900-square-foot bedroom and a 1,000-square-foot spa-style bathroom, equipped with a Finnish dry sauna and steam sauna imported from Finland,” the listing reads.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 23, 2026

The Finnish telecom-equipment provider has repositioned itself to seek growth outside of its traditional telecom-operator market and take advantage of the explosive growth in AI and data centers.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 23, 2026

During one ten-month period she gave 123 concerts in fifteen different countries, performing a repertoire that included over two hundred songs and arias in German, Italian, English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Swedish, Finnish, and other languages.

From "The Voice That Challenged a Nation: Marian Anderson and the Struggle for Equal Rights" by Russell Freedman