Name five very Finnish things or habits! Was alcohol on your list? Well, it should be! Of course there are other sides to Finland (e.g. sauna, Northern lights, tar soap, midsummer, cottages, lakes, sisu, salmiakki and Fazer), but alcohol has played a big role in Finnish culture for most of its history. On this page, I will be listing some Finnish alcohol vocabulary.

The very basics of Finnish alcohol vocabulary

Let’s start with some very basic words! You can learn the names of more beverages (both with and without alcohol) in that other article.

Why do Finns drink so much alcohol?

Alcohol is very well-regulated in most countries, but Finland has been extra strict on alcohol usage (alkoholinkäyttö). There have been many laws restricting alcohol (alkoholilaki), such as the ban on home distilling alcohol (viinanpoltto) in the year 1756.

Additionally, in the years 1919–1932 the sale and production of alcohol was illegal (kielletty). This resulted in people smuggling (salakuljettaa) alcohol from abroad in large quantities, as well as an increase in the amount of secret home distilleries (salaviinanpoltto). So it had pretty much the opposite result of what was intended!

Below, you can find a list of Finnish verbs about drinking alcohol. My list focuses on the very core of drinking, as I have not added the hundreds of spoken language or slang verbs that are around.

Laws related to alcohol consumption

Just like in most countries, minors younger than 18 (alaikäinen) are not allowed to drink alcohol. Bars that want to sell alcohol (anniskella) need to have a license (anniskelulupa). Driving under the influence of alcohol (rattijuopumus) is also forbidden.

However, Finland has one interesting law that is different from most countries, namely the alcohol store called Alko. Alko has a monopoly on selling alcohol (myydä alkoholia) when it has 5.5 per mille or more of alcohol. This system was put into place when the alcohol prohibition laws (kieltolaki) were lifted in 1932.

Why is there so much Finnish alcohol vocabulary?

You could say that being drunk (olla humalassa) is part of Finnish culture. This has a long history, as liquor was commonly given to soldiers as a pick-me-up, as well as given as a reward to the workforce.

A lot of traditions and sayings are centered around alcohol. Take for example the saying “Jos ei terva, viina ja sauna auta, on tauti kuolemaksi.” (Hausjärvi , J. Sillanpää , 1936 – 37 ). It means that “If tar, liquor and sauna don’t help, the illness will be fatal.”

Being drunk (humalatila) isn’t seen as something to be ashamed of in Finnish culture. On the contrary: often it’s glorified and seen as part of being social. It removed inhibitions (poistaa estoja) and can help people get to know each other. However, the whole point of drinking for Finns is often to get drunk (tulla humalaan) rather than just drink socially.

Below, you can find a very limited list of ways to say someone is drunk (hän on humalassa). You can find extensive lists on the internet which include more spoken language and slang words. On this page, I’m limiting myself to ways that are the most commonly used.

Finnish alcohol vocabulary related to alcoholism

With getting drunk being so socially accepted comes the downside that many cross the threshold of social drinking (sosiaalinen juominen) into the realm of alcohol addiction (alkoholiriippuvuus).

You could listen to a folk song about drinking alcohol next and take a look at the lyrics of the song Ei tippa tapa by Irwin Goodman!

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Cleaning – Siivoaminen – Finnish Vocabulary Finnish Birthday Vocabulary – Hyvää Syntymäpäivää! Ei Tippa Tapa – Irwin Goodman – Finnish Songs Analyzed Suomen kielen päivä – Hyvää Agricolan päivää! 9.4.