Finnish Winter Vocabulary – Talvi
Winter is coming! Talvi on tulossa! Learn some Finnish winter vocabulary to be prepared to talk about it.
1. Easy Winter Words
Let’s start off with some easy Finnish winter vocabulary words; the ones you’re most likely to need at beginner levels.
| Finnish | English |
|---|---|
| talvi | winter |
| vuodenaika | season |
| kylmä | cold |
| pakkanen | frost |
| lumi | snow |
| jää | ice |
| pipo | winter hat |
| kaulaliina | scarf |
| lapaset | mittens |
| käsineet | gloves |
| huopatossut | felt boots |
| villasukat | wool socks |
| talvikengät | winter boots |
| Finnish | English |
|---|---|
| pulkka | sled (kids) |
| kelkka | sled, sledge |
| sukset | skis |
| luistimet | iceskates |
| latu | ski trail |
| moottorikelkka | snowmobile |
| lumiukko | snowman |
| lumipallo | snowball |
| lumisota | snowball fight |
| talvirenkaat | winter tires |
| nastarenkaat | studded tires |
| jääraappa | ice scraper |
2. Weather and Snow Words
Next, you can find a mix of hard and easy Finnish winter weather words, many of which are related to snow. The easiest words are marked in green. You might also want to check out our basic page on weather vocabulary.
| Finnish | English |
|---|---|
| avanto | hole in the ice |
| ensilumi | first snow |
| hanki | blanket of snow |
| hankikanto | see below (read more here) |
| huurre | rime |
| ikirouta | permafrost |
| jää | ice |
| jäähelmi | ice pearl |
| jääkide | ice crystal |
| jääkukka | flower-like pattern of frost on glass, arctic mesh |
| jääpuikko | icicle |
| kelirikko | frost heave (read more here) |
| kelkkakeli | great weather for sledding |
| kuura | frost in the early morning |
| loska | slush, half-melted snow/ice |
| loskakeli | slushy road conditions |
| lumi | snow |
| lumihiutale | snowflake |
| lumikide | snow crystal |
| lumikinos | piled up snow, snowdrift |
| lumivaippa | thick layer of snow |
| lumivyöry | snow avalanche |
| lumimyrsky | snow storm |
| musta jää | black ice |
| nietos | piled up snow, snowdrift |
| nuoska | wet, sticky snow, good for snowmen |
| pakkanen | below zero, freezing |
| pakkassää | frosty weather |
| pyry | heavy snowfall |
| pälvi | snow-free ground area in spring |
| pääkallokeli | dangerously slippery weather |
| raekuuro | short but heavy hail storm |
| railo | a long crack in the ice |
| revontulet | northern lights |
| routa | frozen ground surface |
| räntä | sleet, wet snowfall |
| sohjo | slush, wet snow |
| sohjokeli | slushy road conditions |
| suojasää | deep winter weather above freezing |
| tuisku | high wind heavy snowfall |
| tykkilumi | artificial snow on ski slopes |
| tykkylumi | heavy snow that accumulates on branches |
| umpihanki | thick, unbroken blanket of snow |
| vitilumi | thin, freshly fallen snow |
| puuterilumi | thin, fresh snow |
| umpijää | ice thick enough to walk on |
3. Winter Verbs
The verbs in this list are both things the weather does and things that people do. It’s by no means a complete list. If you want, you could learn the verbs for wintersports as well. The easiest verbs are marked in green.
| Finnish | English |
|---|---|
| sataa lunta | to snow |
| pyryttää | to snow heavily |
| jäätyä | to freeze (water, road) |
| huurtua | to frost over (windows) |
| sulaa | to melt |
| kiristyä | to get even colder (frost) |
| lauhtua | to get less cold (weather) |
| hellittää | to ease off (weather) |
| routia | to freeze (roads) |
| nietostua | to be blown into a pile |
| kinostua | to be blown into a pile |
| kimmeltää | to glisten, twinkle |
| liukastua | to slip and fall (on ice) |
| aurata lunta | to plow the snow |
| rämpiä | to slosh around (in snow) |
| paleltua | to freeze (plants, skin) |
| paleltaa | to feel cold (person) |
| hytistä | to tremble (from cold) |
| talvehtia | to overwinter somewhere |
| horrostaa | to hibernate |
| talvettaa | to prepare for winter (plants) |
| narskua | to crunch (snow under feet) |
| narista | to creak (ice under feet) |
4. Winter – Talvi Compound Words
| Finnish | English |
|---|---|
| alkutalvi | early winter |
| keskitalvi | midwinter |
| lopputalvi | latewinter |
| sydäntalvi | the depth of winter |
| talvihorros | winter torpor |
| talviuni | hibernation |
| talvikalastus | winter fishing |
| talviloma | winter holiday |
| talvimatkailu | winter tourism |
| talviolympialaiset | winter olympics |
| talvirengas | winter tire |
| talvitakki | winter coat |
5. Frost – Pakkanen Compound words
The word pakkanen can be translated as “frost”. It’s used in many compound words. In its plural form, pakkaset means “freezing temperatures”.
When talking about the temperature in Finnish, it’s common to use the word pakkanen instead of miinus when expressing sub-zero temperatures. As such, we will say On 30 astetta pakkasta “It’s 30 degrees below zero”. Learn more about how to talk about the weather in general.
| Finnish | English |
|---|---|
| pakkasaamu | frosty morning |
| pakkaspäivä | cold winter day |
| pakkasyö | frosty night |
| pakkasilma | frosty weather |
| pakkassää | frosty weather |
| pakkasaste | degrees below zero |
| pakkasenarka | frost-sensitive |
| pakkasenpurema | frostbite |
| pakkasherra | mister freeze |
| pakkasukko | grandfather frost |
| pakkasneste | antifreeze |
| pakkasvaroitus | warning of upcoming frost |
| pakkasvaurio | frost damage to plants, buildings |
| pakkasvoide | protective cream for skis |
6. Snow – Lumi Compound Words
No Finnish winter vocabulary list would be complete without snow related words! For compound words related to snow, I felt it was necessary for many of these to link to other sources so you can understand the words. If you’re not a native English speaker, or live in a country where it doesn’t snow, just the English name wouldn’t help you much at all.
| Finnish | English |
|---|---|
| lumiaita | snow fence |
| lumiaura | snowplow |
| lumihanki | snow crust |
| lumihiutale | snowflake |
| lumikello | snowdrop (flower) |
| lumikengät | snowshoes |
| lumikerros | layer of snow |
| lumiketju | snow chain for tire |
| lumikinos | snowdrift |
| lumikola | snow shovel |
| lumilapio | snow shovel |
| lumilauta | snowboard |
| lumilinko | snow blower |
| lumilyhty | snow lantern |
| lumimaja | igloo |
| lumimarja | snowberry |
| lumimies | yeti |
| lumimyrsky | snowstorm |
| lumipallo | snowball |
| lumipeite | blanket of snow |
| lumipuku | snowsuit |
| lumisokeus | snow blindness |
| lumisota | snowbal fight |
| lumiukko | snowman |
| lumiveistos | snow sculpture |
| ensilumi | first snow |
| irtolumi | loose snow |
| tekolumi | artificial snow |
7. Winter Weather Adjectives
| Finnish | English |
|---|---|
| kova pakkanen | heavy frost |
| ankara pakkanen | severe frost |
| kylmä | cold |
| jäätävä tuuli | icy, freezing |
| hyinen tuuli | icy, freezing |
| tiheä pyry | dense snowfall |
| kova pyry | heavy snowfall |
| sakea pyry | thick snowfall |
| voimakas | strong (wind, storm) |
| lauha | mild (weather, winter, wind) |
| lauhkea | mild (weather, winter, wind) |
| liukas | slippery (road, street, yard) |
| jäinen | icy (road, street, yard) |
| kuurainen | frosty (road, street, yard) |
| loskainen | slushy (road, street, snow) |
| sohjoinen | slushy (road, street, snow) |
| märkä | wet (snow, weather) |
| nuoskainen | close to zero degrees (weather, snow) |
8. Easy Winter Phrases
Knowing some winter weather words is good of course, but let’s add some phrases to the mix! The following phrases are fairly easy.
| Finnish | English |
|---|---|
| Rakennetaan lumiukko! | Let’s build a snowman! |
| Pihalla on 40 senttiä lunta. | There 40 cm of snow on the yard. |
| Onko joulu valkea? | Will it snow at Christmas? |
| Pysyykö lumi maassa? | Does the snow stay on the ground? |
| Tiet ovat liukkaita. | The roads are slippery. |
| Tiellä on mustaa jäätä. | There is black ice on the road. |
| Lumet oli aurattu. | The snow had been plowed. |
| Katua ei ollut aurattu. | The street hadn’t been plowed. |
| Alue oli hiekoitettu. | The area has been sanded. |
| Silta on jäässä. | The bridge is frozen. |
| Jää kimmeltää. | The ice glitters. |
| Kovilla pakkasilla jään kotiin. | When it’s super cold I stay home. |
| Ajan sohjoisella tiellä. | I drive on the slushy road. |
| Myös koirat palelevat talvella. | Dogs are also cold in winter. |
| Pakkaslumi narskuu kenkien alla. | The frozen snow crunches under the shoes. |
9. More Advanced Winter Phrases
Below, you can find some winter phrases that are a tad more difficult. None of these are, however, super difficult. They’re likely enough to impress your favorite Finn though!
| Finnish | English |
|---|---|
| Pakkanen kiristyy. | It starts freezing even more. |
| Pakkaset paukkuu. | It’s extremely cold. |
| Pakkanen lauhtuu. | It starts freezing a bit less. |
| Pakkanen hellittää. | The frost eases up a little. |
| Luvassa kovat pakkaset! | Heavy frost is coming! |
| Luvassa on yöpakkasia. | Frost nights are coming. |
| Vuoden ensimmäiset pakkasyöt. | The year’s first frost nights. |
| Taitaa tulla suojasää. | I think it’s going to thaw. |
| Nurmikko on kuurassa. | The lawn is covered in rime. |
| On kuurainen aamu. | It’s a frosty morning. |
| Katonreunasta riippuu jääpuikkoja. | Icicles hang from the roof edge. |
| Tuiskutuuli vinkuu nurkissa. | The winter wind whines in the corners. |
| Lumisade yltyi tuiskuksi. | The snow turned into a snow storm. |
| Ikkunasta tuiskutti lunta sisään. | Snow got blown inside through the window. |
| Tykky aiheuttaa puustolle tuhoja. | Dense wet snow causes damage to trees. |
| Pyry tuiskutti tien umpeen. | Heavy snowfall has cut off the road. |
| Tykkylumi aiheutti sähkökatkoksia. | The thick snow caused power outages. |
| Nuoskalla tehtiin lumiukkoja. | We made snowmen with good snow. |
| Maa on nietosten peitossa. | The land is covered in piles of snow. |
| Tuuli kasaa lunta nietoksiksi. | The wind gathers the snow into piles. |
| Tiellä on hiekansekaista sohjoa. | There’s sandy snow on the road. |
| Latu on pyryttynyt umpeen. | The ski track has snowed over. |
| Pelloilla oli jo pälviä. | There were already snow-free spots in the fields. |
| Lämpötilat jäävät pakkasen puolelle. | Temperatures remain below freezing. |
| Sää pysyttelee nollan tuntumassa. | The weather stays close to zero degrees. |
| Loskaiset tiet jäätyvät. | The slushy roads will freeze. |
Read more elsewhere
Here are some links to authentic Finnish sources where you could soak up some new Finnish winter vocabulary as well, if you’re at that point of your studies!
- Suomen luonto: Luonto & kulttuuri: Kuurankukkia ja kerihankia
- Snowchange: Lumitieto-kilpailun sato
And that’s it for Finnish winter vocabulary! I hope you learned something useful! If you’re still interested in more winter things, I have a separate article with more in-depth explanations of the wintery weather things!
In 3. Winter Verbs the words nietostua and kinostua have the same meaning ‘to be blown into a pile’. Are those words synonyms or is that a typo?
I would say that their basic words nietos and kinos have originally meant the same: a snow drift made by wind. But nowadays you can call lumikinos also about a human-made little hill or stack of snow. And lumikasa is always human-made. So:
nietos – wind-made
(lumi)kinos – wind- or human-made
lumikasa – human-made
Thanks!