Wikipedia key to pronunciation of Finnish
The charts below show the way in which the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) represents Finnish language pronunciations in Wikipedia articles. For a guide to adding IPA characters to Wikipedia articles, see Template:IPA and Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Pronunciation § Entering IPA characters.
See Finnish phonology for a more thorough look at the sounds of Finnish.
| Consonants[1]
|
| IPA |
Examples |
English approximation
|
| b
|
bussi[2]
|
big
|
| d
|
ladot
|
adept
|
| f
|
filmi[2]
|
film
|
| ɡ
|
magia[2]
|
go
|
| h
|
hevonen, vaha
|
horse
|
| j
|
joulu
|
yolk
|
| k
|
kala
|
scold
|
| kː
|
lakki
|
backgammon
|
| l
|
laulu
|
lack
|
| lː
|
pullo
|
taillight
|
| m
|
metsä, onpa[3]
|
may
|
| mː
|
kammio, Ahvenanmaa[3]
|
roommate
|
| n
|
nenä
|
nanny
|
| nː
|
kannu
|
unnatural
|
| ŋ
|
kenkä[3]
|
sing
|
| ŋː
|
vangita
|
singing
|
| p
|
puu
|
spool
|
| pː
|
lippu
|
flipbook
|
| r
|
rauta
|
rolled r, like Spanish perro
|
| s
|
sinä
|
between sip and ship (retracted)
|
| sː
|
kissa
|
between this sip and trash ship (retracted)
|
| ʃ
|
šakki[2]
|
ship
|
| t
|
tina
|
stand
|
| tː
|
hattu
|
outdo
|
| ʋ
|
viha
|
between vet and wet
|
| ʔ
|
vaa’an, linja-auto
|
the pause in uh-oh
|
| Stress
|
| IPA |
Examples |
Explanation
|
| ˈ
|
hevonen
[ˈheʋonen]
|
Normally placed on the first syllable.
|
| ˌ
|
hernekeitto
[ˈherneˌkːei̯tːo]
|
A second syllable in some compound words.
|
| tule! [ˈtuˌle]
|
The second syllable in two-syllable imperatives.
|
|
| Vowels[4]
|
| Short
|
Long
|
| IPA |
Examples |
English approximation |
IPA |
Examples |
English approximation
|
| ɑ
|
pouta
|
like father, but shorter
|
ɑː
|
poutaa
|
father
|
| æ
|
pöytä
|
cat
|
æː
|
päivää
|
mad
|
| e
|
terve
|
let
|
eː
|
eesti
|
pay
|
| i
|
viha
|
city
|
iː
|
siika
|
see
|
| o
|
oksa
|
like more, but shorter
|
oː
|
koostaa
|
more
|
| ø
|
pöly
|
somewhat like nurse
|
øː
|
säröön
|
somewhat like bird
|
| u
|
surma
|
influence
|
uː
|
suu, ruoan
|
cool
|
| y
|
kesy
|
somewhat like cute
|
yː
|
ryyppy
|
somewhat like cube
|
| Diphthongs
|
| IPA |
Examples |
English approximation
|
| ɑi̯
|
aika
|
eye
|
| ɑu̯
|
aura
|
how
|
| æi̯
|
äiti
|
main (Australia)
|
| æy̯
|
täytyy
|
somewhat like mouth (Estuary English)
|
| ei̯
|
ei, hei
|
pay
|
| eu̯
|
neutraali
|
somewhat like mouth (Dublin English), Spanish or Italian neutro
|
| ey̯
|
keskeytyä
|
no English equivalent
|
| ie̯
|
kieli
|
somewhat like yes
|
| iu̯
|
viulu
|
few
|
| iy̯
|
siistiytyä
|
no English equivalent
|
| oi̯
|
koittaa, koettaa
|
coin
|
| ou̯
|
outo
|
role
|
| øi̯
|
töitä
|
no English equivalent: French feuille
|
| øy̯
|
pöyristyä
|
rope (Received Pronunciation)
|
| ui̯
|
muita
|
ruin
|
| uo̯
|
Suomi
|
somewhat like woah
|
| yi̯
|
syitä
|
somewhat like we
|
| yø̯
|
yö, työtä
|
no English equivalent: French pollueuse
|
|
|
Notes
- ^ Most Finnish consonants usually contrast between shorter and longer pronunciation. Long consonants are marked with the symbol /ː/.
- ^ a b c d [b], [f], [ɡ], and [ʃ] occur only in loanwords. In casual speech, they may be replaced with [p], [ʋ], [k], and [s], respectively.
- ^ a b c /n/ has three allophones: [ŋ] before /k/, [m] before /p/ (or [b]) or /m/, and [n] elsewhere.
- ^ All Finnish vowels have both a long and a short phoneme.
References
See also
External links
|
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| Comparisons | |
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| Introductory guides | |
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