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 {{IPA-fi}} and Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Pronunciation § Entering IPA characters.
See Finnish phonology for a more thorough look at the sounds of Finnish.
| IPA |
Examples |
English approximation
|
| Consonants
|
| b[1]
|
bussi
|
big
|
| ç
|
vihma
|
human
|
| d
|
ladot
|
adept
|
| f[1]
|
filmi
|
film
|
| ɡ[1]
|
gorilla
|
go
|
| h
|
hevonen
|
horse
|
| ɦ
|
vaha
|
ahead
|
| j
|
joulu
|
yolk
|
| k
|
kala
|
scold
|
| l
|
laulu
|
lack
|
| m
|
metsä, onpa
|
may
|
| n
|
nenä
|
nanny
|
| ŋ
|
vangita, kenkä[2]
|
eating
|
| p
|
puu
|
spill
|
| r
|
rauta
|
rolled r
|
| s
|
sinä
|
sole
|
| ʃ[1]
|
šakki
|
shy
|
| t
|
tina
|
stand
|
| ʋ
|
viha
|
Between v and w
|
| x
|
kahvi
|
Scottish English loch
|
| ʔ
|
vaa’an
|
the pause in uh-oh
|
| Stress
|
| ˈ
|
hevonen
|
Normally placed on the first syllable.
|
hernekeitto
[ˈher.nekˈkejt.to]
|
Two syllables in some compound words.
|
| tule! [ˈtuˈle]
|
Both syllables in two-syllable imperatives.
|
|
| IPA |
Examples |
English approximation
|
| Vowels
|
| ɑ
|
pouta
|
Like father, but shorter.
|
| ɑː
|
poutaa
|
father
|
| æ
|
pöytä
|
cat
|
| æː
|
päivää
|
mad
|
| e
|
terve
|
let
|
| eː
|
eesti
|
pay
|
| i
|
viha
|
happy
|
| iː
|
siika
|
feed
|
| o
|
oksa
|
like thought but shorter
|
| oː
|
koostaa
|
saw
|
| ø
|
pöly
|
somewhat like nurse
|
| øː
|
säröön
|
somewhat like bird
|
| u
|
surma
|
wood
|
| uː
|
suu, ruoan
|
coop
|
| y
|
kesy
|
somewhat like cute
|
| yː
|
ryyppy
|
somewhat like cube
|
|
|
Finnish diphthongs
| IPA |
Examples |
English approximation
|
| ɑj
|
aika
|
aisle, eye
|
| ɑw
|
aura
|
how (RP)
|
| æj
|
äiti
|
main in some Australian dialects
|
| æɥ
|
täytyy
|
down (GA)
|
| ej
|
ei, hei
|
heyday
|
| ew
|
neutraali
|
No English equivalent. Spanish and Italian neutro.
|
| eɥ
|
keskeytyä
|
No English equivalent
|
| ie̯
|
kieli
|
No English equivalent. Somewhat like Spanish tierra.
|
| iw
|
viulu
|
somewhat like kiwi
|
|
| IPA |
Examples |
English approximation
|
| iɥ
|
siistiytyä
|
No English equivalent
|
| oj
|
koittaa, koettaa
|
coin
|
| ow
|
outo
|
American pronunciation of no, oh
|
| øj
|
töitä
|
No English equivalent. French feuille.
|
| øɥ
|
pöyristyä
|
roughly like the British pronunciation of no, oh
|
| uj
|
muita
|
No English equivalent. Spanish muy, French grenouille, Portuguese anuis, Italian lui.
|
| uo̯
|
Suomi
|
Somewhat like woah. Italian suo (but with diphthong)
|
| yj
|
syitä
|
No English equivalent. Somewhat like French huit.
|
| yø̯
|
yö, työtä
|
No English equivalent. French pollueuse (but with diphthong)
|
|
|
Notes
- ^ a b c d [b], [f], [ɡ], and [ʃ] only occur in loanwords. In casual speech, they may be replaced with [p], [ʋ], [k], and [s], respectively.
- ^ Allophone of /n/ before /k/.
References
External links
|
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| Comparisons | |
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| Introductory guides | |
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