Syllables
Understanding the syllabic boundaries in Finnish allows you to use correct syllable stress and vowel harmony, and makes it easier to learn the concept of consonant gradation.
A syllable can either be open (when it ends in a vowel) or closed (when it ends in a consonant).
Syllable rules
V stands for vokaali (vowel) and K stands for konsonantti (consonant):
| Rules | Examples |
|---|---|
| V-V 1 | no-pe-a, rus-ke-a, pi-me-ä |
| V-KV | o-mena, i-lo-ja |
| VV-KV | ai-ta, äi-ti, päi-vä, Puo-la |
| VK-KV | öl-jy, il-ta, ik-ku-na |
| VKK-KV | Rans-ka, Tans-ka, pork-ka-na |
Syllable stress
In Finnish, the primary stress is always on the first syllable:
- Nokia sounds like /‘nokia/ rather than /no’kia/.
- Helsinki sounds like /‘helsiŋki/ rather than /hel’siŋki/.
In a compound word, a secondary stress falls on the second word’s first syllable. For example, isoäiti (grandmother) is stressed as /‘isoˌæiti/2.