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Finnish Insults - Haukkumasanat: 1. The Intensity of Insults
Finnish Insults - Haukkumasanat: 1. The Intensity of Insults
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!
Table of Contents
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
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 (eg.”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 (eg. 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.
Insult Translation
läski fatso
luuviulu skeleton, ‘bone violin’
roikale tall, sleazy, disgusting man
hamppar
i dirty hobo, unkempt man