Random Words #2: Kissa - Cat - Finnish Vocabulary

”Random Words” is a new series I am hoping to produce every once in a while. The point of it is not so much to teach you one new word, but rather to explore what other words come up through association.If you’re truly passionate about expanding your vocabulary, you’ll grasp at any chance to further your knowledge. One way to do this is to just explore one word, its associations and all kinds of little things related to it.

The second of this series of Random Words is KISSA. Kissa means ”cat”.

I’m definitely a cat person (kissaihminen). I have one cat myself, who is definitely not a kitten (kissanpentu) anymore, since she’s 13 years old. She’s a female cat (naaraskissa). She loves it when I pet her (silittää) and enjoys when I scratch (rapsuttaa) her behind the ears. She purrs (kehrätä) like there’s no tomorrow.

There are many different breeds of cats (kissanrotu). Some of them are long-haired (pitkäkarvainen), like Persian cats (persialainen). My cat is a mixed breed (sekarotuinen), and is short-haired (lyhytkarvainen).

She’s an indoor cat (sisäkissa), but she has a harness (valjaat) which she wears when I take her for a walk (ulkoiluttaa). At home, she has multiple scratching posts (raapimapuu), a litterbox (hiekkalaatikko) and plenty of toys (lelu).

Find more vocabulary below:

Finnish	English
kotikissa	domestic cat
villikissa	wild cat
kulkukissa	stray cat
sisäkissa	indoor cat
kollikissa	collie cat
naaraskissa	female cat
uroskissa	male cat
kissanpoikanen	kitten
kissanpoika	kitten
kissanpentu	kitten
kissanpenikka	kitten
katti	kitty
kisu	kitty
mirri	pussycat
kissimirri	kittycat
kotieläin	domestic animal
lemmikkieläin	pet
petoeläin	predator
kissaeläin	feline
kissarotu	cat breed
siamilainen kissa	Siamese cat
persialainen kissa	Persian cat
turkkilainen angora	Turkish angora
raidallinen kissa	striped cat
sekarotuinen kissa	mixed breed cat
pitkäkarvainen	long-haired
lyhytkarvainen	short-haired
sisäsiisti	house-trained

Finnish	English
tassu, tassut	paw, paws
käpälä, käpälät	paw, paws
häntä	tail
kynsi, kynnet	claw, claws
viikset	whiskers
kissanlelu	cat toy
kissanhiekka	cat litter
hiekkalaatikko	litterbox
kissanminttu	catnip
kissanluukku	cat flap
kissanruoka	cat food
kuivaruoka	dry food
nappula, nappuloita	kibble
raksu, raksuja	kibble
valjaat	harness
raapimapuu	scratching post
maukua	to meow
naukua	to meow
kehrätä	to purr
mouruta	to yowl (in heat)
murista	to growl
sähistä	to hiss
saalistaa	to hunt
nuolla	to lick
kiima-aika	rutting season
kiimainen	in heat
virtsamerkkaus	marking with urine
reviiri	territory
sterilointi	sterilization
kastrointi	castration

Phrases about Cats

Finnish	English
Minulla on kissa.	I have a cat.
Minä olen kissaihminen.	I’m a cat person.
Millainen kissa tuo on?	What kind of a cat is that?
Minkävärinen kissa sinulla on?	What color is your cat?
Kuinka vanha kissasi on?	How old is your cat?
Mikä on kissasi nimi?	What’s yur cat’s name?
Minulla on mustavalkoinen kissa.	I have a black and white cat.
Sinulla on tosi söpö kissa.	You have a really cute cat.
Saanko silittää kissaa?	Can I pet the cat?
Haluan silittää kissaa.	I want to pet the cat.
Kissani tykkää silityksistä.	My cat likes to be petted.
Rapsutan kissaa korvien takaa.	I scratch the cat behind the ears.
Saanko rapsuttaa kissaa?	Can I scratch the cat?
Kissa kehrää.	The cat purrs.
Kissa miukuu. Kissa naukuu.	The cat meows.
Kissani miukuu koko ajan.	My cat meows all the time.
Leikin kissani kanssa.	I play with my cat.
Kissa raapii sohvaa.	The cat scratches the couch.
Kissa raapii ovea.	The cat scratches the door.
Älä raavi sohvaa!	Don’t scratch the couch!
Oletko jo ruokkinut kissan?	Have you fed the cat yet?
Olet jo saanut ruokaa.	You’ve already gotten food.
Haluatko vähän raksuja?	Do you want some kibble?
Tule syliin!	Come onto my lap!
Kissa nukkuu sylissäni.	The cat is sleeping on my lap.
Kissani tykkää kissanmintusta.	My cat likes catnip.
Kissallani on terävät kynnet.	My cat has sharp claws.
Ostin kissalleni raapimapuun.	I bought my cat a scratching post.
Kissa käyttää hiekkalaatikkoa.	The cat uses the litterbox.
Minun pitää ostaa kissanhiekkaa.	I have to buy cat litter.
Tarvitsen paakkuuntuvaa kissanhiekkaa.	I need cat litter that clumps.

Sayings with Cats

There are some sayings that have cats in them.

“He ovat kuin kissa ja koira.”
Literally: “They are like cat and dog.”
Meaning: They never get along.
“Kiertää kuin kissa kuumaa puuroa.”
Literally: “To circle like a cat hot porridge.”
Meaning: To beat around the bush, not speak straight.
“Kukas kissan hännän nostaa, jos ei kissa itse.”
Literally: “Who will lift a cat’s tail if not the cat itself.”
Meaning: I should be allowed to praise myself.
“Kun kissa on poissa, hiiret tanssivat pöydällä.”
Literally: “When the cat is gone, the mice dance on the table.”
Meaning: Without supervision rules are broken.
“Veikö kissa kielesi?”
Literally: “Did the cat take your tongue?”
Meaning: Why are you suddenly so quiet?
“Hän putosi kuin kissa jaloilleen.”
Literally: “He fell like a cat on its legs.”
Meaning: He survived a difficult situation unscathed.
“Kissan viikset minä sellaisista!”
Literally: “The cat’s whiskers I of something like that!”
Meaning: I really don’t care about things like that!
“Hän on kuin kissa pistoksissa.”
Literally: “He is like a cat in a sting.”
Meaning: He is restless, impatient.
“Hänellä on kissan päivät”
Literally: “She has a cat’s days.”
Meaning: She’s comfortable, having a good time.