20 Cute Finnish Nicknames for Your Loved One

Could Finnish be the newest addition to languages of love? I know, French and Spanish sound sensual and passionate but I have two reasons why Finnish totally should be included!

1) When a Finn actually, finally, says something romantic, you can be pretty darn sure she/he actually means it. All words are 100% real, no fluff. Don’t they say ”quality over quantity,” right?

2) For such quiet people, we Finns are surprising innovative when it comes to giving affectionate nicknames for our loved ones.

Usually, in Finland, pet names (hellittelynimi, in Finnish) are used in private. It’s a cute inside thing between you and your sweetheart. Children are called by their nicknames publicly.

If you want to know more than just nicknames in Finnish, you can begin learning more Finnish with my FREE Spark Your Finnish class. This free class is the perfect introduction to what you will gain in my Conversational Finnish for Beginners Course.

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Okay, but now, get ready to learn twenty adorable Finnish nicknames and surprise your sweetie with a Finnish nickname or two!

Five Most Common Finnish Nicknames

The title in Finnish: Viisi yleisintä suomalaista hellittelynimeä

#1 Kulta or Kultsi = Gold. Literally. Kultsi feels a bit more relaxed than kulta.
#2 Rakas = Dear. In Finnish, to love is rakastaa, this word comes from it.
#3 Hani = Honey. Comes from English.
#4 Muru = Crumb. Literally.
#5 Pupu = Bunny. Literally.

Ten Sweet and Funny Finnish Nicknames

The title in Finnish: Kymmenen suloista ja hauskaa suomalaista hellittelynimeä

#1 Aarre = Treasure. Literally.
#2 Mussu or mussukka = Sweetie.
#3 Pulu = City pigeon. Literally.
#4 Lutunen = Very adorable. An adjective which can be also used for cute animal babies, like puppies.
#5 Nasu = Piglet, the character, in Winnie the Pooh. (The animal piglet is porsas in Finnish. Note that it’s not a nickname at all)

#6 Sydänkäpy or sydänkäpynen = Heart pine cone. Literally.
#7 Höppänä = Fool. A very soft word for that.
#8 Possu = Pig. Literally. (The other word for a pig is sika in Finnish, which you use in a totally opposite situation!)
#9 Höpönassu = Silly face. Literally.
#10 Herkkupeppu = Delicacy butt. Literally. (I can’t stop laughing at this straight translation.)

Five Cute Finnish Nicknames Especially For Children

The title in Finnish: Viisi söpöä suomalaista hellittelynimeä erityisesti lapsille

#1 Tättähäärä = Scampering, active child.
#2 Kirppu = Flea. Literally.
#3 Rakkauspakkaus = Love package. Literally.
#4 Nappula = Button. Literally.
#5 Maha-asukki = Tummy inhabitant. Literally. Used only for an unborn baby.

Other Types of Finnish Nicknames

The title in Finnish: Muita suomalaisia hellittelynimityyppejä

Calling someone by their last name. This is popular especially among men due to the Finnish army naming logic. However, it’s also sometimes used when there’s a group of friends and some people have the same first name.

A short version of somebody’s actual name. This is typical in all countries and also in Finland. For example, a Finnish girl called “Emilia” could have the nickname “Emppu”. Another Finnish girl called “Liisa” could be “Lissu”.

As for the boys, “Johannes” could have the nickname “Joha” and “Tuomas” could be “Tume” or “Tumppi”. Unfortunately, I cannot offer a clear rule to which letters get chopped off and which letters are added. In many cases, short nicknames are an intuitive process, many times invented by little kids or some funny context.

A long version of somebody’s actual name. You can add softness and affection to a name with particular endings, for example: -liini, -nen or -kka. Note that a particular ending doesn’t go with all names and not all of these endings are used in all regions in Finland.

• Aino could be Ainoliini
• Varpu could be Varpukka
• Aaro could be Aaronen

How to Pronounce 20 Finnish Nicknames Video

How to pronounce them? Click the video to hear me say all twenty words!

Are You Interested in Learning More Finnish?

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I can’t wait to help you with your Finnish language journey!

Did you already know one or some of these cute Finnish words? Do you know other Finnish nicknames? I’d love to know so please comment below.

Looking for more information about the Finnish language and culture?
Check out some of my other posts:

• Best Finnish Language Learning Resources for Beginners
• Famous Finnish Sayings about Life
• Quick Guide to Finnish  – The Basics!
• 30 Cultural Facts on Finland that Help You Understand Finns
• Finland Dating Guide: The ABC of Finnish Dating Culture