This article deals with Finnish insults (haukkumasana) for people. This is a tricky subject for multiple reasons. My main goal with making this article is to present you with a list of words that you can get acquainted with.

I’ve had students request a list of insults – not for the purpose of starting to use them themselves – but to be aware of what words can be used. That way, they stand more of a chance of interpreting situations where they are the victim of verbal assault correctly. This is a very good reason for making this article.

I myself don’t swear at all. My introvert nature also means I rarely come in contact with people who swear. As such, my knowledge of Finnish insults is fairly limited. I’m presenting you with Finnish insults that appear in kielitoimiston sanakirja. I’ve had help with weeding out insults that are no longer in use via our Discord server. Thank you TikuOrava, ClearSkies and pschobabble25 for your input!

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1. The Intensity of Insults
2. Changes in Insults
3. Jonne
4. Groups of Finnish Insults
   1. Insults related to intelligence
   2. Insults related to looks
   3. Insults related to behavior
   4. Related to beliefs
   5. Related to minorities or race
   6. Insults related to sex or excretion
   7. Insults related to professions
   8. Insults related to animals
   9. Insults related to age

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1. The Intensity of Insults

Not all insults are equally insulting. The level of offensiveness of an insult can differ depending on several variables:

• Inherent intensity: calling someone nörtti “nerd” is much less offensive than huora “whore”. This is fairly universal and unlikely to undergo any shifts.
• Regional intensity: Insults can be typical to a certain area and not appear out of that region. They also might have a different meaning or intensity depending on the area.
• Personal intensity: Insults can be used in a joking manner and lose their offensiveness in the speech of some people that lovingly refer to their loved ones with a word that is otherwise considered offensive.
• Added intensity: The way a word is used can influence its offensiveness. For example, “vitun äpärä” (fucking bastard) is more insulting than just plain äpärä (bastard). Finnish uses “vitun” and “saatanan” for this (e.g. vitun idiootti, saatanan huora).

2. Changes in Insults

• Lack of need: When a bigger percentage of the population were farmers, there were a lot of insulting names for the profession. Finnish still has the word maajussi, but other words are slowly dying out.
• Reclaiming words: The people towards whom a certain word is used as an insult can sometimes reclaim the word as “their own”. In these cases, the word can lose its negative meaning (e.g.”ginger”).
• Erosion of meaning: The intensity of insults changes. Words that were very offensive at some point can lose some of their strength over time. This can cause confusion as to which words are general terms and which are insults (e.g. nigger or negro).
• Insults give identity: There will always be a tendency for younger generations to try to set themselves apart through the vocabulary they use. This also includes insults, which are born and die out as the generations renew. Within close-knit groups, certain insults can gain popularity quickly.

3. One Insult: Jonne

The word jonne has been around for a couple of years right now. It’s interesting because its meaning is so specific. A jonne is a teenage boy (9-15 year old) who behaves in a childish or awkward manner. It’s thought to describe a typical high school student who like playing video games and drinking energy drinks. It’s also used to refer to the whole generation of kids born in the 1990s.

4. Groups of Finnish Insults

Below, you can find Finnish insults listed by their meaning. This means they are not organized by how offensive they are: you will find very offensive and fairly casual insults mixed in the table below.

4.1. Insults Related to Intelligence

4.2. Insults Related to Looks

It hasn’t been easy to find insults that only refer to sombody’s looks.

4.3. Insults Related to Behavior

4.4. Insults Related to Beliefs

4.5. Related to Minorities or Race

4.6. Insults Related to Sex or Excretion

4.7. Related to Professions

4.8. Related to Animals

4.9. Insults Related to Age

Read More Elsewhere

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• City: Kusipään aapinen
• Me naiset: Minne katosivat dorka, daiju ja pälli?
• Blog: Aivokääpiöstä homoksi
• Kielikello: Kuka lohduttaisi Jonnea?

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That’s it for Finnish insults!