Your Ultimate Finnish Pronunciation Guide

Finnish Pronunciation

Many people believe that learning to pronounce the Finnish language is quite easy, and one of the simplest languages to learn. It is true that learning the language and correct Finnish pronunciation is easy, but that does not mean that you do not need to practice. The pronunciation is different from English, so you need to make sure that you understand those differences and are able to articulate them in your speech so you do not confuse any native Finnish speakers!

Sounds and Syllables

Finnish contains only 13 consonant sounds, which is less than many other languages contain. The consonants include d, g, h, j, k, l, m, n, p, r, s, and t. They have 9 vowels including a, e, i, o, u, y, ä, and ö. You will not find Finnish words that have clusters of three or more consonants together. Most of the syllables you find in the language are going to alternate. In some cases, a vowel might make a syllable. Two consonants might make a single syllable as well, although this is rare. You will start to notice this much more if you begin to write Finnish.

Less Aspiration in Finnish

First, you have to understand what aspiration is. In English, when you pronounce certain words, you will find there might be a puff of air that comes out of the mouth after pronouncing the word. The puff of air is the aspiration. Using hard sounds, such as t, p, and k will produce more aspiration. In Finnish pronunciation, you are not going to have much aspiration at all. The only letter that will have a bit of aspiration is going to be “h”. If you try to aspirate more of the consonants, as you would in English, the words are not going to sound correct, so you have to watch for this.

Another Pronunciation Difference

One of the other differences in pronunciation is in words that begin with the letter “j” in Finnish. In the Finnish language, the letter “j” has a pronunciation like “y” in English. The work joki, which means river, would have the “y” sound at the beginning, so it would sound as though you are saying “yoki” instead. Different vowels will all have their roles in the language as well.Learning a language is about far more than memorizing grammar rules and vocabulary lists. Take the time to learn proper pronunciation and speak properly.

1) Use voice recording tools to perfect your pronunciation

FinnishPod101 has plenty of resources to help you with your Finnish pronunciation, so be sure to make thorough use of our recordings with native Finnish speakers. These are available not only to demonstrate to you how you should pronounce Finnish vocabulary, but also sentences and dialogues. Watch and listen to these over and over again to train your ear, and watch the teacher’s mouth as she speaks in the video lessons. Then, copy the speech as best you can. Later, you can record yourself to hear if you sound like a native speaker and compare yourself with native speakers. Great for self-motivation.

2) Practice in front of the mirror.

And see that you’re copying the correct lip and mouth movements.

3) Use our FinnishPod101 dictionary!

Use the Finnish dictionary provided by FinnishPod101 to look up words and listen to the audio pronunciation. This will go a long way towards giving you an idea of how to pronounce a word or letter correctly.

4) Train your ear to the language!

Make an effort to often listen to Finnish music and recorded books, and watch plenty of Finnish movies and/or TV shows in Finnish. This will train your ear to the language, and you’ll be surprised how quickly you pick up the accent. Remember, this is the way we learned to speak when we were young - mostly by listening to the adults talking, and repeating what they say!

5) Practice, practice, practice…

Repetition of the same thing may be boring, but in learning a new language, you’re creating new pathways in your brain. For these to remain and become habitual, you will need to repeat the correct pronunciation often.

6) Make friends with a native Finnish speaker.

Don’t be shy to address them in Finnish! Ask them to correct you when you make a pronunciation mistake - this is a wonderful way to practice and learn the language first-hand, and also to make new friends.

7) Practice your pronunciation with your Finnish teacher!

If you’re a serious student and don’t know where to meet native Finnish speakers, consider investing in FinnishPod101’s Premium PLUS plan. This means you will have your own native Finnish teacher available to practice your pronunciation with, and much more! Send recordings of yourself speaking Finnish and get feedback from your Finnish teacher.