Finnish Dating ABC

Oh, these tips about Finland dating are pure gold to you if you have a crush on a Finnish man or woman!

As a Finnish woman, I am so happy to help my readers to understand Finnish culture and what to expect. There is always room for more love!

If you need advice about how to get to know a Finn in the first place, be sure to read my post about making Finnish friends!

Finland dating essentials: A-L

Anticipation. If you haven’t already Googled, stalked on Instagram or spied on Facebook, cancel the date and let a Finn out of his/her misery. You are not that into us. It is not nice to play with food.

Bridezilla. There is a 90% chance you will get a bridezilla if you plan to marry a Finnish woman. Unfortunately, there is no way of pointing out the 10% which are not before you kneel down. There is a 100% chance you will be a bridezilla if you marry a Finnish man.

Cuddles. There are no restrictions to PDA in Finland. That’s most likely because they are so rare. We show very little physical (and verbal) proofs of our love. However, we are totally smitten with you!

Darkness. We are a bit somber. Best way to check the level of our darkness is to ask about our music taste. If the reply includes bands like Stratovarius, Sonata Arctica, and Nightwish, prepare for a Finnish metal heart.

Effective dating. Finns tend to date only one person at a time. If you are dating several people and keeping your options open, please don’t let us know and keep it super casual with us.

Fakeness. Finns despise fakeness, and we can smell it miles away. You don’t need a big car or boobies to get our attention.

Gig or movie. A good place for the first date with a Finn. Reason for that in the letter M (as in Muteness).

House. The ultimate love testimony of a Finn is when he/she starts building a house for his/her family. You can also count massive renovations here. Unfortunately, this also leads to the ultimate amount of fights.

Inferno. Dating inferno for a Finn is when some old relatives ask relationship status in front a large group of people.

Jester. See Jester on a second date if the first date was not downright awful. Finns often use jokes to hide insecurity. You can find a prince behind this mask.

Kulta. The most common way to say Dear in Finnish. We are quite creative with nicknames so your sweetheart can come up with a much more personal name for you.

Late. Finns are very clock-aware. If we are running late more than 5 minutes late, we let the other person know. Not whatsupping sorry and new time slot for arrival is rude.

Pheww, a lot of information! Anything surprising in the A to L list?

Personally, I think that if you are serious about a Finn, you go a long way with being yourself, arriving on time and not seeing other people. 

If you want to know some details, why not check my Quick Guides to Dating Finnish Men and Women?

Okay, but now: let’s dive into the other half of alphabets!

Finland dating essentials: M-Z

Muteness. We Finns are at no point in our lives taught to small talk! Check this post for details. If a Finn is quiet, that doesn’t mean anything negative. Quite the opposite, most likely he/she is comfortable with you. Try wine, tequila or absinthe, if the situation is desperate.

Nibbling. It is a very positive sign. It means that a Finn is utterly relaxed with you. Particularly we women just love to try out food on another person’s plate. Accept it or be ready to fight for your right to have all the food on your plate. If you have a Finnish man-nibbler, set clear rules to how much you want to eat. If you don’t, your food (especially candies) may disappear within seconds.

Oneway openness. What is funny is that Finns rarely ask you questions when they are getting to know you. On the other hand, if you ask us anything, no matter how difficult or straight the question it might be, you always get an honest answer without blinking an eye.

Politeness. This is kit mint to Finns as we have no please in our language. When you are normal, we think you are flirting with us. Personally, as a 16-year old au pair in Preston, I thought the whole town loved me because of those darlings and sweethearts at the end of the sentences.

Qwerty. Your Finn may be a nerd. That’s okay; we are cute and useful. Just make sure that computer games aren’t a passion because then they for sure spend a lot of time with Xbox, PlayStation or World of Warcraft. On the other hand, that’s me-time to you!

Road trip. Finland is a long country so we are used to distances and driving. Pack snacks, good music and take your sweetie up north or to the coastline. We will love it.

Soulmate. Having a soulmate feels like riding a cotton candy unicorn, being a top-class brain surgeon and saving the world from all worries at the same time. Can’t beat that! This goes to any nationality.

Tab. We can go 50/50, but you are not a gentleman if you are not paying.

Upset. With us women, it is so damn easy. You can read it from our face with a neon sign. With a Finnish guy, that poker face takes months to decipher.

Vegan. This megatrend lately arrived in Finland. You can do a lot with this; annoy, make jokes, seek similarity or try to cook new dishes.

Xylitol. Xylitol is the healthy ingredient in gum for your teeth. It prevents tooth cavities and decay. Needless to say, that it is a Finnish discovery. That’s the reason we chew so much gum! I know friends who have had to do a gum rehab for themselves to stop using it so much. What is the downside, you ask? Well, you get your jaw tense, and you fart around like a piglet.

Young. You do not ask a woman’s age in Finland if you are a man.

Zone. We Finns have a need of circular personal space about 1-1,5 m in radius. Step inside it unwanted and a Finn will step backward accordingly. This is nothing personal. It just takes time to make it to our comfort zone. When you’re in it, you stay there forever.

And it’s a wrap! That is Finland dating 101!

If there is anything you would like to know beyond these essential alphabets, just write me a message or comment below.