Finnish Tongue-Twisters

• Yksikseskös yskiskelet?
  Are you coughing alone?
  —from Henrik Härkönen

• Itsekseskös itkeskelet?
  Are you crying alone?
  —from Henrik Härkönen

• Appilan pappilan apupapin paksuposkipiski pisti poskeensa paksun papupurkin.
  The thick-cheeked dog of the deacon of the rectory of Appila (a name of a place) ate a thick bean can.

• Appilan pappilan apupapin papupata pankolla kiehuu ja kuohuu.
  Bean casserole of the deacon of the rectory of Appila (a name of a place) boils and bubbles on the oven.

• Appilan pappilan piski paksuposki pakkas kapsäkin ja pinkaisi juoksuun.
  The thick-cheeked dog of the rectory of Appila (a name of a place) packed up a travelling-bag and started running.

• Kokoo kokoon koko kokko! Koko kokkoko? Koko kokko.
  Gather up a full bonfire! A full bonfire? A full bonfire.

• Vie fiestaan hienon miekkamiehen tie (Tie vie!)
  The way of the fine swordsman leads to fiesta (Road leads!)
  (from "My Fair Lady": the Finnish translation for "The rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain.")

• Lauri löysi ruplanrahan jyrkän penkereen reunalta.
  Lauri (a man's name) found a one ruble coin from the brink of a steep cliff.

• Mustan kissan paksut posket (repeated)
  Black cat's thick cheeks

• Pappilan apupapin papupata pankolla kiehuu.
  The rectory's deacon's bean casserole boils on the oven.

• Presidenttipari pariloi Floridan kolesterolitonta broileria.
  The presidential couple is barbequing cholesterol-less Florida broiler.

• Vesihiisi sihisi hississä.
  The water pixie hissed in an elevator.
  (Tease or practice for people with a lisp)

• Ärrän kierrän ympäri orren, ässän pistän taskuun.
  I twist an 'R' around a beam, I put the 'S' into my pocket.
  (Tease or practice for people with problems pronouncing 'r' or 's')

• Ääliö, älä lyö, ööliä läikkyy!
  Idiot, don't hit, beer spills!

• Yötyö vie työmiehen myöhään syömään
  Night shift gets the worker late for dinner

• Nuoret työmiehet vievät Suomen tietyöt päätökseen
  Young workers finalize the Finnish road works

• Enenenen, en enenene.
  I may increase, I may not increase.

• Gödöllön pöllö töllöttää, möllöttää, köllöttää ja ööliä löllöttää
  The owl of town Gödöllö (in Hungary) watches around, sulks, idles and consumes beer

• Kersantti Pippuri rannalla tappeli (to tease or practice people who confuse 'r' and 'l')
  Sergeant Pepper fought at beach

• Käki söi keksiä keskellä keskioksaa
  Cuckoo ate cookie in the middle of the mid-branch

Dialectal

• Kokko, kokkoo kokkoo koko kokko! - Koko kokkoko? - Koko kokko. Kokkookko? (Savo dialect)
  Kokko (a surname), gather up the whole bonfire! - The entire bonfire? - The entire bonfire. Now will you gather it up?

• Mamma, pakka pappa kapsäkk! (Finland proper dialect)
  Grandma, pack grandpa's suitcase
  This is also almost the same in Swedish.

• Olin sedälläni seitsemän vuotta kodossa renkinä
  I was my uncle's servant at his home for seven years;
  Mispronounced becomes "I was seven years a servant in a hole laying on my back"
  Used to tease the Eastern Tavastians, who pronounce 'd' as 'l')

• Hieno piano (repeated)
  Fine piano (A tease for people from Finland proper, who pronounce the diphthong 'ie' as 'ia')

• Fiesta Kiasmassa
  Fiesta in Kiasma (The Helsinki Museum of Modern Art—a tease for people from Savo, who pronounce the diphthong 'ia' as 'ie')

Special words

• Lentokonesuihkuturbiinimoottoriapumekaanikkoaliupseerioppilas
  Airplane jet turbine engine auxiliary mechanic non-commissioned officer student
  The longest Finnish word but an actual military term in the Air Force.

• Hääyöaieuutinen
  Literally Wedding night intention news, something you find in the yellow press.

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