Learning Finnish vocabulary is definitely in the top 3 of struggles I hear from Finnish learners.
Hard to remember all the words…
Nothing reminds of other languages…
All those super long words…
And then all of them have like a gazillion different forms! (that’s cases for you, and we “only” use 12)
In this article, you’ll learn about the most powerful way to truly learn and understand Finnish vocabulary. And no, it doesn’t include flash cards!
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The Finnish Vocabulary Booster explains the 6 golden rules of vocabulary learning that will help you remember the words later, make real sentences & speak about other topics than where the train station is!
Let’s start by looking at how our brains actually work – because it’s up to your brain to learn and store all those Finnish words!
I’ll explain this with an easy example:
You can remember exactly where you hid a stash of emergency chocolate 2 weeks ago (in my case, it would only last for a week…) but you have no idea where your car keys are that you only used yesterday.
This is because our brain filters information, only registers data that it deems important, and connects it with already existing data points so that it’s easier to store and retrieve for when you need it.
You bought that chocolate knowing that you have a stressful time ahead at work, it’s cold and rainy, and next month is the deadline for your annual tax declaration.
I mean – who wouldn’t need some comfort food to survive all that?
So you put it somewhere safe where it doesn’t tempt you daily, but will be there when you really need it.
With your car keys, on the other hand… You will need them to get to the office in the morning.
So when you get home in the evening, you can’t wait to take a bath/cook a nice dinner/play with your dog/whatever else you do to relax. You put your keys somewhere and don’t even register it.
But what does this have to do with learning Finnish?
Learning any language requires the formation of new neural pathways. And it is easier for your brain to form those pathways, when it can connect new information with your existing memories, emotions and experiences.
It works very similarly to remembering your chocolate stash location / forgetting where your keys are. One of those things is linked to strong emotions that your brain perceives important!
The above example is exactly why learning vocabulary within a context is so powerful.
When you hear a story about something in Finnish, you imagine the setting, the people, the voices. Instead of memorising individual words without anything you can link them to, you directly connect the vocabulary with the visual representation of what you hear.
Context gives your brain tools to connect the word with its meaning, which helps you remember it more easily.
Learning without context means tools like word lists with the word in Finnish + translation, or flashcards with a picture and the word in Finnish. These might be great for those vocabulary tests but won’t help you truly acquire the words.
True story: I can’t even tell you how many hours I spent at school trying to memorise individual English words; all those vocabulary lists, crossword puzzles and flashcards… And very few of those actually stuck!
The only time I write word lists is when I'm listening to something and notice some really important words that I can't remember or always forget. And I do it because, at least for me, writing down a word by hand helps me remember it – but I don't read and memorise these word lists afterwards.
So my advice is: skip word lists and flashcards. Study new vocabulary in their context by reading and listening to authentic Finnish.
There’s another reason why learning through context is absolutely essential: all words are unique and can mean different things in different contexts.
Think of the English words ‘ordinary’ and ‘common’.
‘An ordinary day’ and ‘a common day’ mean the same thing.
But ‘ordinary people’ and ‘common people’ are not the same at all!
This same phenomenon exists between words in different languages as well. Let’s take the Finnish word ‘ihan’ as an example. In some contexts it means ‘quite’, whereas in others it means ‘absolutely’:
Se oli ihan hyvä elokuva. = It was quite a nice movie.
Se oli ihan mahtava elokuva! = It was an absolutely amazing movie!
Another complication is that words have different translations depending on the context – and no translation is 100% perfect. For example, the English word ‘light’ has several translations in Finnish: valo, vaalea or kevyt. And if you want to say ‘she had light skin’ in Finnish, you cannot say ‘hänellä oli kevyt iho’ – you have to use the translation vaalea.
If you learn words without the context, you will always learn them a little bit (or very) wrong.
Whereas when you learn words with the context, you’ll learn how to use the words in real-life Finnish – you need to see a specific word many times and in many different contexts in order to truly acquire its true meaning.
And listening to stories and jokes in Finnish allows you to grasp the nuances of words and meanings in different contexts. It’s truly the best way to learn not only Finnish vocabulary but also how to use it correctly in everyday interactions with Finns.
Learning through context is one of the things I love about the Natural Method. Because it’s all based on the input of authentic material, you are feeding your brain with Finnish in a format that is the easiest to retain – which means that it’s the fastest and most efficient way to learn and remember new vocabulary + you’re learning Finnish while listening to something interesting!
This is why all my YouTube videos and my online course Finnish Me: Understand are basically shorter or longer stories, designed to help you form those connections and remember new words more efficiently.
So let’s give your brain what it wants and throw those word lists out of the window!
If you found this article helpful and want to hear more about how you can broaden your Finnish vocabulary, don’t forget to grab the free Finnish Vocabulary Booster here.
Published on 27 February 2025