Let’s talk about Finland’s animals! In this article, we’ll teach you important Finnish animal vocabulary as well as some idiomatic animal-related terms and expressions. You’ll even find a few interesting facts about Finland’s fauna in this guide.

Tip: If you know what your preferred learning style is, you can play to your strengths and make memorizing new vocabulary a little easier. For example, if you’re primarily a visual learner, try creating your own thematic mini dictionary with pictures or watch Finnish vocabulary videos on the FinnishPod101 YouTube channel. Or, if you’re a kinesthetic learner and learn best through movement, why not challenge your friends or family to a game of charades in Finnish?

Learning Finnish animal names is child’s play.

Table of Contents

1. At Home
2. On the Farm
3. In the Forest
4. In the Lakes, Rivers, and the Sea
5. Bugs and Insects
6. Birds, Reptiles, and Amphibians
7. Animal Body Parts
8. Animal-Related Terms and Expressions
9. Lopuksi

1. At Home

Let’s kick things off by learning the Finnish words for popular pets! Roughly a third of Finnish households have a pet (lemmikkieläin), with dogs and cats being the most popular pets by far. Do you keep one (or more) of the following animals as a pet?

• koira (“dog”)
• kissa (“cat”)
• hamsteri (“hamster”)
• marsu (“guinea pig”)
• kani (“bunny”)
• rotta (“rat”)
• kultakala (“goldfish”)
• kilpikonna (“tortoise”)
• undulaatti (“budgie”)
• papukaija (“parrot”)

Suositut lemmikkieläimet (“Popular pets”)

• When learning new words, it’s a good idea to listen to how a native speaker pronounces them. You’ll find recordings on all of our vocabulary lists, including this one on animal names.

2. On the Farm

Next up: the names of common farm animals in Finnish! 

• lehmä (“cow”)
• sika (“pig”)
• hevonen (“horse”)
• lammas (“sheep”)
• vuohi (“goat”)
• kana (“chicken”)
• kukko (“rooster”)
• ankka (“duck”)
• hanhi (“goose”)
• poro (“reindeer,” a semi-domesticated animal that’s an integral part of the Sámi culture in Finnish Lapland)

Lehmä laitumella (“A cow in a pasture”)

• Do you remember the song Old MacDonald Had a Farm from your childhood? In Finnish, the song is known as Piippolan vaarilla oli talo (“Grandpa Piippola Had a House”).

• We have a lesson just about farm animals to help you master this useful vocabulary set.

3. In the Forest

Finland’s forests are home to many wild animals, including a few large carnivores. Here’s what to call some of these animals in the Finnish language: 

• karhu (“bear”)
• susi (“wolf”)
• kettu (“fox”)
• hirvi (“moose”)
• jänis (“rabbit”)
• orava (“squirrel”)
• ahma (“wolverine”)
• ilves (“lynx”)
• kärppä (“weasel”)
• mäyrä (“badger”)
• näätä (“marten”)
• supikoira (“raccoon dog”)
• hiiri (“mouse”)

Karhuemo pentuineen (“A mother bear with her cubs”)

• The brown bear is one of Finland’s national symbols. The animal was a central figure in the mythology of ancient Finns, and there are over 200 words for “bear” in Finnish, including mesikämmen, kontio, otso, and tapio.

4. In the Lakes, Rivers, and the Sea

Finland has a coastline as well as plenty of freshwater habitats. You’ll find both fully aquatic and semiaquatic animals on this list.

• kala (“fish”)
• lohi (“salmon”)
• ankerias (“eel”)
• simpukka (“clam”)
• meduusa (“jellyfish”)
• jokirapu (“crayfish”)
• valas (“whale”)
• hylje (“seal”)
• majava (“beaver”)
• saukko (“otter”)

Hylje elää maalla ja vedessä. (“A seal lives on land and in the water.”)

• Pyöriäinen (“porpoise”) is the only type of whale regularly encountered in Finnish waters. Two types of seals are found in Finland: halli or harmaahylje (“gray seal”) and saimaannorppa (“Saimaa ringed seal”). The Saimaa ringed seal is only found in Lake Saimaa in Finland and is one of the most endangered seals in the world.

• The shark and the octopus may not be native to Finland, but you can learn the Finnish words for these (and other) animals on our Marine Animals & Fish vocabulary list.

5. Bugs and Insects

Beautiful, gross, scary—insects and other creepy-crawlies elicit strong feelings in many people! Let’s learn the Finnish words for some of the most common little beasties, including Finland’s most infamous resident: the mosquito. (If you’re planning a trip to Finland in summer, you may want to come prepared!)

• hyttynen or itikka (“mosquito”)
• perhonen (“butterfly”)
• kärpänen (“fly”)
• mehiläinen (“bee”)
• ampiainen (“wasp”)
• muurahainen (“ant”)
• sudenkorento (“dragonfly”)
• leppäkerttu (“ladybug”)
• koppakuoriainen (“beetle”)
• hämähäkki (“spider”)
• mato (“worm”)
• etana (“snail”)

Leppäkerttu on hyönteinen. (“The ladybug is an insect.”)

6. Birds, Reptiles, and Amphibians

Interesting fact: Did you know that reptiles (matelijat) are more closely related to birds (linnut) than to amphibians (sammakkoeläimet)?

• joutsen (“swan”)
• pöllö (“owl”)
• varis (“crow”)
• harakka (“magpie”)
• kotka (“eagle”)
• lokki (“seagull”)
• käärme (“snake”)
• lisko (“lizard”)
• sammakko (“frog”)
• (rupi)konna (“toad”)

Kolme sammakkoa kivellä (“Three frogs on a rock”)

7. Animal Body Parts

In this section, we’ll go over the Finnish words for important animal body parts.

• tassu (“paw”)
• häntä (“tail”)
• kuono (“snout”)
• sarvi (“horn” / “antler”)
• turkki (“fur”)
• siipi (“wing”)
• nokka (“beak”)
• pyrstö (“tail,” of birds and fish)
• räpylä (“flipper”)
• evä (“fin”)
• lonkero (“tentacle”)

You now know a number of animal names in Finnish and what to call their body parts…but do you know the Finnish vocabulary for animal noises?

Joutsenella on kauniit siivet. (“The swan has beautiful wings.”)

8. Animal-Related Terms and Expressions

There are countless idiomatic animal-related terms and expressions in Finnish. If you’re up for a challenge, see if you can incorporate a couple of the following words or phrases into your next conversation in Finnish!

1 – Nouns

• harakanvarpaat (“chicken scratch” or “scrawl” / literally: “magpie’s toes”)
• koiranilma (“bad weather” / literally: “dog’s weather”)
• kissanristiäiset (“unimportant celebration” / literally: “cat’s christening”)
• villakoira (“dust bunny” / literally: “wool dog,” which also means “poodle”)
• karhunpalvelus (“disservice” / literally: “bear’s service”)
• uutisankka (“canard” / literally: “news duck”)
• sudennälkä (“ravenous hunger” / literally: “wolf’s hunger”)
• kissanpäivät (“the life of Riley” / literally: “cat’s days”)
• katin kontit (“nonsense” or “rubbish” / literally: “cat’s knapsacks,” an exclamation)
• teerenpeli (“flirtation” / literally: “grouse’s game”)

2 – People

• jänishousu (“scaredy-cat” or “chicken” / literally: “rabbit pants”)
• verokarhu (“taxman” / literally: “tax bear,” a playful term for verottaja)
• pahanilmanlintu (“bird of ill omen” / literally: “bad weather’s bird”)
• työmyyrä (“workhorse” / literally: “work vole”)
• koiranleuka (“joker” / literally: “dog’s jaw”)
• pullahiiri (“person with a sweet tooth” / literally: “bun mouse”)
• vastarannan kiiski (“contrarian” / literally: “ruffe of the opposite shore”)
• susipari (“unmarried, cohabiting couple” / literally: “wolf couple”)
• vilukissa (“person who feels cold easily” / literally: “chill cat”)
• koekaniini (“guinea pig” / literally: “test rabbit”)
• konttorirotta (“pen-pusher” / literally: “office rat”)
• linssilude (“lens hog” / literally: “lens bug”)
• vasikka (“informer” or “snitch” / literally: “calf”)
• pöllö (“fool” / literally: “owl,” derogatory)

3 – Idioms

• kiertää kuin kissa kuumaa puuroa (“to beat around the bush” / literally: “to circle like a cat around hot porridge”)
• nostaa kissa pöydälle (“to bring up a difficult subject” / literally: “to lift a cat onto the table”)
• seurata kuin hai laivaa (“to be hot on one’s heels” / literally: “to follow like a shark follows a ship”)
• olla koira haudattuna (“something fishy” / literally: “there’s a dog buried”)
• näyttää närhen munat (“to teach someone a lesson” / literally: “to show jay’s eggs”)
• olla oma lehmä ojassa (“to have a vested interest in something” / literally: “to have one’s own cow in a ditch”)
• tehdä kärpäsestä härkänen (“to make a mountain out of a molehill” / literally: “to make a bull out of a fly”)
• tappaa kaksi kärpästä yhdellä iskulla (“to kill two birds with one stone” / literally: “to kill two flies with one hit”)
• olla ketunhäntä kainalossa (“to have a hidden agenda” / literally: “to have a foxtail under the arm”)
• olla käärmeissään (“to be annoyed” / literally: “to be in one’s snakes”)
• olla kananlihalla (“to have goosebumps” / literally: “to be on chicken meat”) 

4 – Verbs

• sikailla (“to behave badly” / from the word “pig”: sika)
• hamstrata (“to squirrel” or “to hoard” / from the word “hamster”: hamsteri)
• apinoida (“to ape” or “to mimic” / from the word “monkey”: apina)
• kukkoilla (“to strut one’s stuff” / from the word “rooster”: kukko)
• ahmia (“to wolf down” / from the word “wolverine”: ahma)
• jänistää (“to chicken out” / from the word “rabbit”: jänis)
• lokkeilla (“to freeload” / from the word “seagull”: lokki)
• hevostella (“to flaunt” or “to behave arrogantly” / from the word “horse”: hevonen)

5 – Similes

• pirteä kuin peipponen (“perky as a chaffinch”)
• terve kuin pukki (“healthy as a horse” / literally: “healthy as a billy goat”)
• lauhkea kuin lammas (“mild as a sheep”)
• märkä kuin uitettu koira (“wet as a dog immersed in water”)
• ahkera kuin mehiläinen (“industrious as a bee”)
• kiukkuinen kuin ampiainen (“mad as a hornet” / literally: “angry as a wasp”)
• puhdas kuin pulmunen (“clean as a whistle” / literally: “clean as a snow bunting”)
• köyhä kuin kirkonrotta (“poor as a church mouse” / literally: “poor as a church rat”)
• itsepäinen kuin muuli (“stubborn as a mule”)
• uskollinen kuin koira (“loyal as a dog”)
• lämmin kuin lehmän henkäys (“warm as cow’s breath,” used when talking about air temperature)
• kuin täi tervassa (“extremely slow” / literally: “like a louse in tar”)

One of the best ways to learn new vocabulary is to put the words into context. Our Finnish animal words video does exactly that!

9. Lopuksi

We hope that you found this guide to Finnish animal words to be the cat’s meow! What other types of vocabulary would you like to see covered on our blog? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

FinnishPod101 offers plenty of free resources to help you on your Finnish learning adventure, including an ever-growing library of vocabulary lists complete with recordings to help you perfect your pronunciation. We are constantly adding new learning material to suit all learning styles and confidence levels, so be sure to check back often.

Happy learning on FinnishPod101!