Finnish Tongue-Twisters

Kielivoimistelua

• Epäjärjestelmällistyttämättömyydelläänsäkäänköhan.

• Hurskastelevaisehkollaismaisellisuuksissaankohankin hän toimi?
• I wonder if he did so partly just to show sort of a slightly hypocratic kind of basic attitude?
• (Thanks to Juha Kuikka)

• "Kas vain!" sanoi kasvain, ja kasvoi vain. Vain kasvain voi kasvaa noin vain.
• "Oh well!" said a tumor, and kept on growing. Only a tumor can get bigger just like that.
• (Thanks to Kristina Kortelainen)

• Vasta vastaa vasta vastaavasta vastavastaavasta.
• The bath whisk answers only for the respective person responsible for the bath whisk.
• (Thanks to Henkka Ojanen)

• Keksijä Keksi keksi keksin keksittyään keksin keksijä Keksi keksi keksin keksityksi
• Inventor Cookie, invented the cookie. After inventor Cookie had invented the cookie, he invented that the cookie was invented.
• (Thanks to Anna)

• Piukka paikka peikko paukku puikko poikki
• It's a tough situation elf: the bang stick is broken
• (Thanks to Juha-Petri Jantunen)

• Appilan pappilan apupapin paksuposkipiski pisti poskeensa paksun papupurkin.
• The thick-cheeked dog of the deacon of the rectory of the father-in-law's home 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.