 | This is the pronunciation key for IPA transcriptions of Finnish on Wikipedia.It provides a set of symbols to represent the pronunciation of Finnish in Wikipedia articles, and example words that illustrate the sounds that correspond to them. Integrity must be maintained between the key and the transcriptions that link here; do not change any symbol or value without establishing consensus on the talk page first. | |
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
|
pool
|
| 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
|
|
|
- ^ 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.
