Insects – Animals – Eläimet – Finnish Vocabulary
February 18, 2019
July 27, 2022
This article is all about insects. First, you can find the names of some common Finnish insects and some words related to their environment, behavior and more. Lastly, I explain some Finnish sayings related to insects!
| Finnish | English |
|---|---|
| hyönteinen | insect |
| ötökkä | bug |
| kärpänen | fly |
| hyttynen / sääski | mosquito |
| perhonen | butterfly |
| ampiainen | wasp |
| mehiläinen | bee |
| kimalainen | bumblebee |
| paarma | horsefly |
| kovakuoriainen | beetle |
| leppäkerttu | ladybug |
| sudenkorento | dragonfly |
| heinäsirkka | grasshopper |
| muurahainen | ant |
| hämähäkki | spider |
| mato | worm |
| punkki | tick |
| kirppu | flea |
| täi | louse |
| lude | bedbug |
| torakka | cockroach |
| satiainen | groin louse |
| Finnish | English |
|---|---|
| loinen | parasite |
| syöpäläiset | vermin |
| toukka | larva |
| verkkosilmät | compound eyes |
| siipi | wing |
| pölyttäjä | pollinator |
| munia | to lay eggs |
| parvi | swarm |
| kuningatar | queen |
| kuhnuri | drone |
| siitepöly | pollen |
| tuntosarvet | antennae |
| mehiläisyhdyskunta | bee colony |
| mehiläispesä | beehive |
| hunajakenno | honeycomb |
| parveilu | swarming |
| muurahaiskeko | ant hill |
Finnish Sayings Related to Insects
- “Hän ei tee pahaa kärpäsellekään.”
- Literally: He doesn’t do bad even to flies.
- Meaning: He’s harmless, really nice.
- “Älä tee kärpäsestä härkästä.”
- Literally: Don’t make a fly into a “härkänen” (word only used in this saying, related to “härkä” (bull))
- Meaning: Don’t make a mountain out of a mole hill.
- “Olisi ollut kiva olla kärpäsenä katossa tarkkailemassa.”
- Literally: It would have been nice to watch as a fly from the ceiling.
- Meaning: I’d have liked to look in undetected.
- “Minulla on perhosia vatsassa.”
- Literally: I have butterflies in my stomach.
- Meaning: I’m excited/nervous.
The first two words and their translations in the first table should be exchanged
Thank you 🙂