This article contains vocabulary for all kinds of body movements. The original idea for this article came from Ylli on our Discord server. If you’re new to learning Finnish, you might want to get acquainted with general bodypart vocabulary first.

Kapteeni Käskee – Simon Says

In this article, we’re focusing on vocabulary related to body movements (kehon liikkeet) that we could use in the classroom to play “Simon says”. This article doesn’t contain orders like “lay down”, because these aren’t very practical in the classroom.

The game “Simon says” is called “Kapteeni Käskee” in Finnish. It’s a game that’s perfect for practicing the imperative, because that’s the form used to give orders (Istu! Tule!). The idea of the game is that one person (the kapteeni) gives orders (käskyjä) to a group, with the group only following the orders (noudattaa käsky) when the sentence includes the words “kapteeni käskee”. If someone in the group follows an order that doesn’t include this phrase, they are eliminated from the game.

These body movements might also help you with Finnish vocabulary for yoga poses, plus for physiotherapy!

Koko Kehon Liikkeet – Whole Body Movements

Käsien Liikkeet – Arm and Hand Movements

Finns rarely make the distinction between arms and hands when the context makes clear what we’re talking about. The word for arm is technically käsivarsi and the word for hand is käsi, but both can be referred to as käsi.

Jalkojen Liikkeet – Leg and Feet Movements

Similar to käsi, the word jalka can refer both to the leg (jalka) and the foot (jalkaterä). While Finnish does have separate words for the two, the distinction usually isn’t made, if the context tells us whether we’re talking about the leg or the foot.

Pään ja Kasvojen Liikkeet – Head and Face Movements

Muiden Kehonosien Liikkeet – Other Bodypart Movements

Teeskentele! – Play Pretend!

Luokassa – In the Classroom

If you want to, you can look at the article about the plural imperative forms of these body movement verbs!

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