Woohoo! You have a Finnish sweetheart and you are ready to let the cat out of the bag by saying your true feelings. So, what’s the best way to say “I love you” in Finnish? How Finns go about this topic in general?
I’ve got you covered! This article goes through twenty Finnish love phrases and how to use them.
Whether you are searching for a cute way to signal your interest or declare that you are soulmates, I can help you navigate the romantic waters of the Finnish language.
Also, if you have a Finnish-speaking friend or family member, there are a couple of good phrases for you!
After this post, you are ready to throw around Finnish love sentences like confetti!
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Table of Contents
- 1 “I Love You” in Finnish is “Minä Rakastan Sinua”
- 2 Ultimate Declarations of Love in Finnish
- 3 How to ask “Do you love me” in Finnish
- 4 How to say “I’m in love with you” in Finnish
- 5 How to Say You are Interested in Finnish
- 6 How to Show You Care for a Friend or Family in Finnish
- 7 How to Pronounce “I Love You” in Finnish
- 8 Are You Interested in Learning More Finnish?
“I Love You” in Finnish is “Minä Rakastan Sinua”
This is the big thing! “Minä rakastan sinua” is used in a long-term relationship or when you are about to enter one.
It’s never used casually in the Finnish culture. In spoken language, it is often shortened as “Mä rakastan sua.” The reply is “Niin minäkin sinua.”
- I love you = Minä rakastan sinua or Mä rakastan sua (in spoken language)
- I love you too = Niin minäkin sinua or Niin mäkin sua (in spoken language)
Ultimate Declarations of Love in Finnish
If you want to add more power, consider some of these phrases:
- I love you always = Rakastan sinua aina
- I love you forever = Rakastan sinua ikuisesti
- I love you always and forever = Rakastan sinua aina ja ikuisesti
- I love everything about you = Rakastan kaikkea sinussa
By the way, this next sentence works in Finnish only when you have had a fight or somehow you have made your sweetheart upset. I wouldn’t use it as a starter phrase in a positive or neutral situation.
- I love you with all my heart = Rakastan sinua koko sydämestäni
How to ask “Do you love me” in Finnish
This is another phrase I wouldn’t recommend as a starter. In Finland, you usually don’t hear this question at the beginning of a relationship.
This phrase is used, when you are really unsure of your relationship.
- Do you love me? = Rakastatko sinä minua?
How to say “I’m in love with you” in Finnish
These phrases are very strong in the Finnish language. When you say them, it means you are basically ready for a serious relationship.
In Finnish, “to be in love with someone” refers to the intoxicating feeling of love. Picture Beyonce in the video of “Crazy in Love” and you get the idea of how strong that phrase is in Finnish. Yup!
- I’m in love with you = Olen rakastunut sinuun
- I’m in love with you too = Niin minäkin sinuun / Niin mäkin suhun
- I fell in love with you at first sight = Rakastuin sinuun ensi silmäyksellä
- You make me happy = Teet minut onnelliseksi / Sä teet mut tosi onnelliseksi
How to Say You are Interested in Finnish
Verbally, there really are no subtle ways to show your interest in Finnish. For a Finn, all of these phrases mean that you really care about them. However, as there’s no L-word, the caring is not so strongly expressed.
- I’m always thinking about you = Ajattelen sinua koko ajan
- I miss you. = Kaipaan sinua
- I like you = Tykkään susta
- You are lovely = Olet ihana
- You are important (to me) = Olet tärkeä
- You are nice = Olet kiva
Notion! Use the last phrase “Olet kiva” only if you are in high school.
How to Show You Care for a Friend or Family in Finnish
From the above mentioned phrases, here are my three favorite ways of expressing how much I care when it’s about family or friends!
“Olet rakas” is great with very close family members, like parents or siblings. It’s also often used in a relationship.
- You are dear (to me) = Olet rakas
“Olet ihana” is perfect if you are a woman. “Ihana” is a very girly and adorable word for lovely. A cute sweater can be “ihana”, cool interior can be “ihana” and your friend most certainly is “ihana”.
On the other hand, my hubby would use “ihana” when he is talking to me but I doubt he would use it to anybody else.
- You are lovely = Olet ihana
For men and women both, I recommend the phrase “Olet tärkeä”. It’s a very positive phrase to use, when you want to express that a person is an important part of your life.
- You are important (to me) = Olet tärkeä
In any situation, if you want to be sure that your friend doesn’t misunderstand you (read: no romantic vibes with this one), you can say:
- Thank you for being my friend = Kiitos että olet ystäväni
How to Pronounce “I Love You” in Finnish
Watch my helpful pronunciation video below!
Are You Interested in Learning More Finnish?
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Did you find the perfect phrase for your situation? Would you like to know another phrase? Let me know in the comments!
Looking for more information about the Finnish language and culture? Check out some of my other posts:
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Hello there!
I’m Varpu. One blonde,
travel-loving,
Finnish engineer driving this site.
Thanks… this really helped! 😀 😀
Hei Steve! You’re welcome! I’m so happy to hear that this post was helpful!
Hi Varpu,
Thank you for your sharing of so many ways of how to express love in Finnish! The expressions are so beautiful! Your article is so timely and really makes my journey of learning Finnish so much fun!
Kiitos paljon Varpu!
Eddie, you are golden! Thank you so much! I’m so happy to hear that you liked this post!!! <3
Moi! Our family loves our posts! My Mom would always say that we could say “rakas” for “please” also…to ask please in a loving (heartfelt) way.
Do you know that saying too, or is it just Finn/English?…(some of what our Finn has gone to over the years in the USA)
Moi Heidi! Awww, such a sweet question, thank you!
In Finland, we aren’t taught to add ‘please’ in any way when we are speaking Finnish – the conditional form is very polite in Finnish. However, I totally understand that as cultures mix together, it feels that you really want to add something at the end. Rakas is a lovely way to highlight asking in a heartfelt way.
In fact, we have that expression in Finland for sure; the idea behind is just a bit different. ‘Rakas’ is more like “dear/sweetheart” (a nickname for your spouse). I use ‘rakas’ when talking to my hubby because I want to highlight how precious he is to me. So rakas refers more to the person than ‘please’, if you know what I mean? I couldn’t use ‘rakas’ for my boss or at a grocery store or anything. 😀 I hope this made some sense. 😀
This was so informative. I would never had dared ask a Finnish teacher in class these expressions but they are so important to know and to understand the cultural differences of when they should be used. Thank you so much!!!
I’m delighted to hear that this post was helpful! Ole hyvä Natalie <3
You have such a great blog! I was an exchange student in Finland many years ago, so your articles and this video is so much fun for me. Thank you!
Oh Amy, that’s fantastic to hear! You are golden!!! Kiitos!
I knew ‘minä rakastan sinua’ for years but the others are great also. I follow you on instagram. kiitos for these helpful posts.
Hei John! I’m so happy to have you around here and on Instagram. Glad to hear that you like my posts, it means the world to me!
My parents were first generation Finn Americans and spoke Finnish first. Unfortunately they did not teach my sister and me how to speak the language. Looking forward to learning at least some Finn! It will be great hearing it as well! Thank you Varpu!
Hei Nancy! That’s so awesome to hear! I’m so excited about my upcoming Finnish language course that it’s almost difficult to sleep 😀 And that’s bad when you have a one-year-old running around!! Kiitos so much for your comment!
These phrases will be great practice for pronouncing the “r” right! 🙂 Rolling my “r” has been the hardest part of learning Finnish!
Oh yes, the Spanish and Finnish R is very strong! These sentences are excellent for that indeed! Thank you so much for letting me know that r is a tricky letter!! I’ll cover this on my course!
Kiitos Varpu! Lovely post even for a Finnish speaker 🙂
Kiitos Henna! Ihana kuulla, tätä postausta oli aivan mahtavan lämpöistä tehdä! <3
Moikka!
You Finns are like the coconut: hard in the outside, the sweetest in the inside. Nevertheless, I find it cute that you Finns are also the most honest people I’ve met. Thanks for sharing this phrases and meaning! It’s so sweet you dedicate time for us, the ones interested in the country and in a finn (in my case, as a matter of luck).
Terveisiä Meksikosta.
Thank you Cora! You are so sweet! That means the world to me!! Kiitos kiitos kiitos <3
This is a really nice post! I am interested in learning Finnish and have not been very sure where to begin and this post has me thinking I am going in the right direction. Merci beaucoup!
Oh, Nicholas, I’m so pleased to hear that! Thank you so much for letting me know and taking the time to comment! I appreciate you!
Moi
Already knew the “essencial” valentines day expression but, it was really nice to know other expressions and ways to say them, good timing of course 😛
Kittos!
Moi Paulo! Fantastic that you liked this post!! This is such a fun and heart-warming subject! Kiitos!
Thank you! I love your posts.
Lori, that’s the best feedback I can have! Kiitos kiitos kiitos <3
Olet paras opettaja ikinä, Varpu!
Ercan, you just made my day! KIITOS!!