Finnish has a reputation for being hard, but the words that show up constantly are a short, learnable list. Pronouns, the verb olla, and a handful of question words and conjunctions carry an outsized share of everyday speech. Start here before you tackle the case endings, and the rest of the language gets much easier to absorb.
How to use this list
Do not work through this list top to bottom. Read down it and mark only the words you could not have produced yourself. Those are your list. The rest are already yours, and reviewing them is wasted effort better spent on words you actually meet in reading, conversation, or subtitles.
The 100 words
| # | Finnish | English | In use |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | olla | to be | Minä olen opettaja.I am a teacher. |
| 2 | ja | and | Ostin leipää ja maitoa.I bought bread and milk. |
| 3 | ei | not, no | Minä en pidä kahvista.I don't like coffee. |
| 4 | se | it | Se on hyvä idea.That's a good idea. |
| 5 | minä | I | Minä asun Helsingissä.I live in Helsinki. |
| 6 | sinä | you (singular) | Sinä olet ystäväni.You are my friend. |
| 7 | hän | he, she | Hän puhuu suomea.He speaks Finnish. |
| 8 | me | we | Me menemme kouluun.We are going to school. |
| 9 | te | you (plural) | Te olette tervetulleita.You are welcome. |
| 10 | he | they | He asuvat Turussa.They live in Turku. |
| 11 | tämä | this | Tämä kirja on mielenkiintoinen.This book is interesting. |
| 12 | tuo | that | Tuo talo on vanha.That house is old. |
| 13 | joka | who, which | Nainen, joka asuu tuolla, on lääkäri.The woman who lives there is a doctor. |
| 14 | mikä | what, which | Mikä on nimesi?What is your name? |
| 15 | että | that (conjunction) | Luulen, että sataa huomenna.I think that it will rain tomorrow. |
| 16 | mutta | but | Hän on väsynyt, mutta iloinen.He is tired, but happy. |
| 17 | kun | when | Soitan sinulle, kun ehdin.I'll call you when I have time. |
| 18 | jos | if | Jos sataa, otan sateenvarjon.If it rains, I'll take an umbrella. |
| 19 | koska | because | En tullut, koska olin sairas.I didn't come because I was sick. |
| 20 | niin | so, thus | Hän on niin väsynyt.He is so tired. |
| 21 | kuin | than, as | Hän on pidempi kuin minä.He is taller than me. |
| 22 | vain | only | Minulla on vain viisi euroa.I only have five euros. |
| 23 | myös | also | Hän puhuu myös ruotsia.He also speaks Swedish. |
| 24 | jo | already | Olen jo syönyt.I have already eaten. |
| 25 | vielä | still, yet | Hän ei ole vielä valmis.He is not ready yet. |
| 26 | nyt | now | Meidän täytyy lähteä nyt.We have to leave now. |
| 27 | sitten | then | Söimme lounasta ja sitten menimme töihin.We ate lunch and then went to work. |
| 28 | taas | again | Ulkona sataa taas.It's raining again outside. |
| 29 | aina | always | Hän myöhästyy aina.He is always late. |
| 30 | kaikki | all, everyone | Kaikki tykkäävät hänestä.Everyone likes him. |
| 31 | moni | many | Moni ihminen ei tiedä tätä.Many people don't know this. |
| 32 | joku | someone | Joku soitti sinulle.Someone called you. |
| 33 | missä | where | Missä sinä asut?Where do you live? |
| 34 | miksi | why | Miksi olet surullinen?Why are you sad? |
| 35 | miten | how | Miten menet töihin?How do you get to work? |
| 36 | kuka | who | Kuka tuo mies on?Who is that man? |
| 37 | milloin | when (question word) | Milloin juna lähtee?When does the train leave? |
| 38 | tässä | here (in this) | Tässä on sinun kahvisi.Here is your coffee. |
| 39 | siellä | there | Kissa on siellä puutarhassa.The cat is over there in the garden. |
| 40 | täällä | here | Asun täällä koko ikäni.I've lived here my whole life. |
| 41 | siinä | there (in that) | Ongelma on siinä, että meillä ei ole aikaa.The problem is that we don't have time. |
| 42 | hyvä | good | Tämä on hyvä ravintola.This is a good restaurant. |
| 43 | iso | big | Heillä on iso koira.They have a big dog. |
| 44 | pieni | small | Asunto on pieni mutta viihtyisä.The apartment is small but cozy. |
| 45 | uusi | new | Ostin uuden auton.I bought a new car. |
| 46 | vanha | old | Tämä on vanha kaupunki.This is an old city. |
| 47 | oma | own | Hänellä on oma huone.He has his own room. |
| 48 | toinen | other, second | Anna minulle toinen mahdollisuus.Give me a second chance. |
| 49 | sama | same | Meillä on sama nimi.We have the same name. |
| 50 | ensimmäinen | first | Tämä on ensimmäinen kertani Suomessa.This is my first time in Finland. |
| 51 | viimeinen | last | Se oli viimeinen bussi.That was the last bus. |
| 52 | tehdä | to do, to make | Mitä sinä teet?What are you doing? |
| 53 | sanoa | to say | Hän sanoi totuuden.He told the truth. |
| 54 | tietää | to know | En tiedä vastausta.I don't know the answer. |
| 55 | mennä | to go | Meidän täytyy mennä nyt.We have to go now. |
| 56 | tulla | to come | Voitko tulla huomenna?Can you come tomorrow? |
| 57 | nähdä | to see | Haluan nähdä sinut pian.I want to see you soon. |
| 58 | antaa | to give | Voisitko antaa minulle veden?Could you give me the water? |
| 59 | ottaa | to take | Ota kirja pöydältä.Take the book from the table. |
| 60 | saada | to get, to receive | Sain kirjeen eilen.I received a letter yesterday. |
| 61 | haluta | to want | Haluan oppia suomea.I want to learn Finnish. |
| 62 | voida | to be able, can | Voitko auttaa minua?Can you help me? |
| 63 | pitää | to have to, to like | Minun pitää lähteä pian.I have to leave soon. |
| 64 | löytää | to find | En löydä avaimiani.I can't find my keys. |
| 65 | puhua | to speak | Puhutko sinä englantia?Do you speak English? |
| 66 | ajatella | to think | Ajattelen sinua usein.I think of you often. |
| 67 | elää | to live, to be alive | Hän elää yksinkertaista elämää.He lives a simple life. |
| 68 | asua | to live, to reside | Asumme pienessä kylässä.We live in a small village. |
| 69 | työskennellä | to work | Työskentelen isossa sairaalassa.I work at a big hospital. |
| 70 | kysyä | to ask | Voinko kysyä jotain?Can I ask something? |
| 71 | vastata | to answer | Hän ei vastannut kysymykseen.He didn't answer the question. |
| 72 | katsoa | to look, to watch | Katsomme elokuvaa illalla.We're watching a movie tonight. |
| 73 | kuulla | to hear | Kuulitko sinä uutiset?Did you hear the news? |
| 74 | päivä | day | Tänään on kaunis päivä.Today is a beautiful day. |
| 75 | aika | time | Minulla ei ole aikaa.I don't have time. |
| 76 | vuosi | year | Tämä vuosi on ollut vaikea.This year has been difficult. |
| 77 | ihminen | person, human | Jokainen ihminen on erilainen.Every person is different. |
| 78 | mies | man | Se mies on minun isäni.That man is my father. |
| 79 | nainen | woman | Nainen odottaa bussia.The woman is waiting for the bus. |
| 80 | lapsi | child | Lapsi leikkii pihalla.The child is playing in the yard. |
| 81 | koti | home | Menen kotiin nyt.I'm going home now. |
| 82 | talo | house | He rakensivat uuden talon.They built a new house. |
| 83 | maa | country, land | Suomi on kaunis maa.Finland is a beautiful country. |
| 84 | vesi | water | Juon paljon vettä.I drink a lot of water. |
| 85 | käsi | hand | Hän piti minua kädestä.He held me by the hand. |
| 86 | silmä | eye | Hänellä on siniset silmät.He has blue eyes. |
| 87 | sana | word | En tunne tätä sanaa.I don't know this word. |
| 88 | elämä | life | Elämä on lyhyt.Life is short. |
| 89 | maailma | world | Maailma muuttuu nopeasti.The world is changing fast. |
| 90 | kaupunki | city | Helsinki on Suomen suurin kaupunki.Helsinki is Finland's biggest city. |
| 91 | työ | work, job | Rakastan omaa työtäni.I love my own job. |
| 92 | raha | money | Meillä ei ole tarpeeksi rahaa.We don't have enough money. |
| 93 | kirja | book | Luin mielenkiintoisen kirjan.I read an interesting book. |
| 94 | tie | road, way | Tämä tie vie kaupunkiin.This road leads to the city. |
| 95 | asia | thing, matter | Se on tärkeä asia.That's an important matter. |
| 96 | tapa | way, habit | Hänellä on hyviä tapoja.He has good habits. |
| 97 | kysymys | question | Se on hyvä kysymys.That's a good question. |
| 98 | vastaus | answer | En tiedä oikeaa vastausta.I don't know the right answer. |
| 99 | aamu | morning | Aamu on kylmä.The morning is cold. |
| 100 | ystävä | friend | Hän on paras ystäväni.He is my best friend. |
The ones English speakers get wrong
no gender, no articles
Finnish has no grammatical gender and no word for the or a. Hän means both he and she, so spoken Finnish is genuinely gender-neutral in a way English isn't, and context alone tells you who is meant. There's also nothing to translate when English would say the book or a book: kirja covers both, and word order or context carries the rest of the meaning.
the partitive case: whole vs. partial
Finnish marks whether an action is complete or ongoing partly through the object's case. Syön omenan (with the object in the accusative-like total object form) means I eat the whole apple, while syön omenaa (partitive) means I'm eating an apple, possibly not finishing it. This distinction runs through the whole language and has no direct English equivalent, so it takes real practice to feel.
consonant gradation (astevaihtelu)
Many Finnish words change their middle consonants when you add an ending, a pattern called consonant gradation. Kirja stays kirja, but a word like matto (rug) becomes maton in the genitive because tt weakens to t. The pattern is regular once you know it, but it means the dictionary form of a word can look noticeably different from the form you meet in a sentence.
sinä vs. te for formal address
Like several European languages, Finnish traditionally uses te, the plural you, as a polite singular form when addressing strangers, elders, or people in formal service roles, while sinä stays for friends, family, and peers. Modern spoken Finnish uses this less strictly than French vous or German Sie, but it still shows up in customer service and with older speakers.
double letters change meaning, not just emphasis
Vowel and consonant length are meaningful in Finnish, not stylistic. Tuli (fire) and tuuli (wind) are different words because of the long vowel, and kuka (who) and kukka (flower) are different words because of the double consonant. Mispronouncing the length isn't a minor accent issue, it can turn one word into an entirely different one.
long compound words
Finnish builds long nouns by joining shorter words directly together with no space and no linking preposition, the way German does. Työ (work) plus paikka (place) becomes työpaikka (workplace), and these compounds can stack several words deep. Learning to split a long unfamiliar word into its component parts is one of the most useful reading skills for a beginner.
What to do next
A list this size is about two weeks of light daily review, and it is the difference between decoding Finnish and following it.