Our favourite Finnish facts
We gathered some of our most favourite Finnish facts for you. Just because we love Finland.
-
- In Finland, you don’t dip your toe to test the water. Instead, you test the ice with a stick (kokeilla kepillä jäätä)
- The Finns don’t use a “computer”… they have a “knowledge machine” (Tietokone).
- There is a word in Finnish for ‘I wonder if I should run around aimlessly’ – it is “juoksentelisinkohan?”
- The Finns have a tradition of Ants Nest Sitting Competition – a fun thing to do with friends. You take down your pants, sit down on an ants nest – first person up, loses
- In Finnish, the word for dragon is ‘salmon snake’ (Lohikäärme)
- Finland has the most Northern Vinyard – it is called Olkiluoto Nuclear Power Plant in Finland (61°14′N; 21°26′E) (yes, nuclear) and yields around 850kg of grapes annually.
- Finland has won Eurovision once – it was with Lordi’s Hard rock Hallelujah
- As much as 86% of Finland is covered with forests.
- The Finnish place name of Paskalomavaara means ‘Shitvacationdanger’ if you translate it literally.
- Instead of describing someone as dumb in Finnish, someone might just say “Well, it’s dark in the attic” (on vintti pimeana)
- There are no public payphones in Finland.
- The Finnish word kalsarikännit means to “stay in, wearing your underwear, drinking beer, with no intention of going out”.
- A hangover in Finnish is known as a ‘Krapula’
- In Finland, your speeding fine is calculated based on your income.
- Candyfloss in Finnish is “hattara”, meaning: ‘small cloud’.
- In 2016, Finland was the safest country on earth (according to the World Economic Forum (WEF). The UK was no 63 on the same list).
- Finland has 187,888 lakes that are larger than 500 m²
- The Finns don’t say something “vanished into thin air” instead the Finns say it “disappeared like a fart in Sahara” (Kadota kuin pieru Saharaan).
- The Finnish the word ‘pilkunnussija’ is someone who is pedant and particular about tiny details – and it translates literally to ‘comma fucker’.
- There are over 3million saunas in Finland – and only 5m people. There is even a Burger King with a Sauna in it.
- The Finnish psyche can be summed up in one brilliant word: Sisu. When the going gets tough, the tough get ‘sisu’. It’s that thing inside that makes you get back up and carry on. Stop whining, pick yourself up and carry on – and finish what you started. Sisu.
- Finland is most heavy metal loving nation in the world with 53.5 metal bands per 100,000 people.
- Finnish people drink the most coffee in the world (12kg per person per year).
- The Sami in Finland have a measure for 7km, it’s called Poronkusema and it’s the distance a reindeer can travel before needing a pee. “Peter lives 2 poronkusema away”
- The Moomin trolls come from Finland.
- If a Finnish person tell you that it is like perfume on a meatball, he simply means to tell you it doesn’t fit (like the English ‘square peg in a round hole – but about meatballs…) (sopia kuin hajuvesi lihapulliin)
- In Finnish, if you say tapaan sinut it means: “I’ll meet you.” If you say tapan sinut it menas “I’ll kill you.” Do NOT get these two mixed up.
- Finland is ranked the most literate nation in the world
- And our favourite Finnish idiom: Hänellä ei ole kaikki muumit laaksossa – He doesn’t have all trolls in the valley.
We love random facts. Follow us on Facebook with the tag #BeNordic for your daily dose.