If you're trying to learn the Finnish Alphabet which is also called Suomi, check our courses about pronunciation, and sound of all letters... to help you with your Finnish grammar. Try to concentrate on the lesson and memorize the sounds. Also don't forget to check the rest of our other lessons listed on Learn Finnish. Enjoy the rest of the lesson!
Learning the Finnish alphabet is very important because its structure is used in every day conversation. Without it, you will not be able to say words properly even if you know how to write those words. The better you pronounce a letter in a word, the more understood you will be in speaking the Finnish language.
Below is a table showing the Finnish alphabet and how it is pronounced in English, and finally examples of how those letters would sound if you place them in a word.
| Finnish Alphabet | English Sound | Pronunciation Example |
|---|---|---|
| A a | /ɑː/ | a as in ask |
| B b | /beː/ | b as in bank |
| C c | /seː/ | s before i,e,y other "k" in Canada |
| D d | /deː/ | d as in David |
| E e | /eː/ | e as in elevated, "a" before "g" |
| F f | /æf/ | f as in Frank |
| G g | /ɡeː/ | s as in pleasure before e,i,y,ä,ö. Or "g" as in God elsewhere |
| H h | /hoː/ | h as in holiday |
| I i | /iː/ | as in ink |
| J j | /j/ | j as in 'y' in yes |
| K k | /koː/ | k as in kid |
| L l | /æl/, /ˈæl.læ/ | l as in life |
| M m | /æm/, /ˈæm.mæ/ | m as in mom |
| N n | /æn/, /ˈæn.næ/ | n as in noon |
| O o | /oː/ | o as in old |
| P p | /peː/ | p as in pope |
| Q q | /kuː/ | Q is no longer used |
| R r | /ær/, /ˈær.ræ/ | as in brother |
| S s | /æs/, /ˈæs.sæ/ | s as in Sam |
| Š š | /ˈhat.tuˌæs/ | sh as in ship, sometimes 's' in small |
| T t | /teː/ | t as in table, sometimes as in 'd' as in mat |
| U u | /uː/ | as in the ultra |
| V v | /ʋeː/ | sounds like a "b" in Basque |
| W w | /ʋeː/ | v as in vast |
| X x | /æks/, /ˈæk.sæ/ | ks as in wax |
| Y y | /uː/ | u as in put |
| Z z | /tset/, /ˈtse.tɑ/ | s as in cats |
| Ž ž | /ˈhat.tuˌtset/, | sh before e,i,y,ä,ö, "chs" before a,o,å,u |
| Å å | /oː/ | oo in poor |
| Ä ä | /æː/ | ae as in ache |
| Ö ö | /øː/ | u as in ultra |
You saw how a letter is written and might be pronounced, but there is nothing better than hearing the sound of the letters in a video or audio. Below you will be able to hear how the letters above are pronounced, just press the play button:
| Finnish Pronunciation |
|---|
The alphabet and its pronunciation have a very important role in Finnish. Once you're done with the Suomi alphabet, you might want to check the rest of our Finnish lessons here: Learn Finnish. Don't forget to bookmark this page.
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