# What are Finns like? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 29, 2014, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-finns-like/708433 "2014-12-29T13:08:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2014, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-finns-like/708433/41 "2014-12-30T05:24:56Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > No, it’s /sauna/, Finnish being a language with perfectly reasonable and logical spelling. sɑunɑ, if we’re doing pedant. Because IPA is what people unconcerned with original pronunciation use. Sow as in pig, not “you’re going to reap just what you sow” of course. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2014, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-finns-like/708433/42 "2014-12-30T05:34:46Z")
The transcription guide I used said /a/ 😕 But thanks for demonstrating my point, which was that any attempt at English phonics is unlikely to clarify anything, IPA should be used. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2014, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-finns-like/708433/43 "2014-12-30T06:05:09Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > They’re losers in the world hockey junior tournament tonight. That’s all I know. Although a hockey fan such as yourself should know that that’s not exactly representative of their [hockey players](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teemu_Sel%C3%A4nne) in general. ---
**Author:** ![Arrogance\_Ex\_Machina](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/arrogance_ex_machina/32/192_2.png) [@Arrogance\_Ex\_Machina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arrogance_Ex_Machina)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2014, 6:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-finns-like/708433/44 "2014-12-30T06:34:16Z")
> [@OldOlds](#): > > Well, don’t be a tease. We’re reporting our experiences. Tell us where you think we got it right and wrong. For what it is worth, I was nodding along with at least your post and **Toxylon** ’s. Frankly you need to ask somebody else than a Finn what Finns are like, since to us we are just normal and it’s all you foreign weirdoes who deviate from that perfection. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2014, 6:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-finns-like/708433/45 "2014-12-30T06:35:11Z")
I know they [have about half-a-zillion road cameras](http://alk.tiehallinto.fi/alk/english/frames/tiesaa-frame.html) so that driving conditions will not startle you. And on one of them I once saw the picnic area logo, which Mac users will recognize from their keyboards. ---
**Author:** ![movingfinger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@movingfinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/movingfinger)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2014, 7:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-finns-like/708433/46 "2014-12-30T07:50:43Z")
Those damn Swedes will try to tell you sauna is Swedish and pronounce it like “Donna”. They are totally wrong. Don’t listen to them. If you ask for a sah-na in Finland you will be politely deported as an undesirable alien. Or a Swede, which is worse. ---
**Author:** ![Urbanredneck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ea5d25/32.png) [@Urbanredneck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urbanredneck)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2014, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-finns-like/708433/47 "2014-12-30T12:10:33Z")
> [@Arrogance\_Ex\_Machina](#): > > As a Finn, I find this thread quite amusing. 😃 Ok, tell me: 1. What does the average Finn like for breakfast? 2. How do they like their coffee? Or are they more of tea drinkers? 3. What is a Finns favorite snack when watching tv? When at a live sporting event? 4. What is a Finns favorite brand of auto? Of motorcycle? 5. Do they prefer showers or baths? 6. How would an angry Finn tell someone"I’m going to kick your ass"? 7. What is one of the biggest culture shocks Finns seem to have when first visiting the US? 8. Do lots of Finnish men have tattoos? if so what do they like in tattoos? 9. Why do most Finns immigrate to the US? Money? Love? Climate? 10. Is the noon meal the big thing for Finns like it is for say the French? 11. Do Finns prefer lots of small meals a day like the Danes? 12. Do Finns like to shake hands when greeting someone? 13. What is the Finnish “comfort zone”? Meaning how close do they prefer to stand from someone? 14. Are firearms legal in Finland? Do many Finns own guns? 15. In Finland are things taxed as high as they are say in Denmark? All for now. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2014, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-finns-like/708433/48 "2014-12-30T12:16:42Z")
German people walk like _this_. Finnish people walk like _this_. Amirite? ---
**Author:** ![chiroptera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@chiroptera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chiroptera)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2014, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-finns-like/708433/49 "2014-12-30T12:31:46Z")
Am I the only one whose first thought on the OP was, “you work with someone from Finland. Have you asked _him_ any of these questions?” I mean it would be interesting to compare what your co-worker’s thoughts are, and your observations, with what people are responding with here. Or maybe you don’t have the opportunity to talk to him at work. Otherwise I’m finding this thread interesting. I’m not sure I’ve even met anybody from Finland and was unaware of the stereotypes. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2014, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-finns-like/708433/50 "2014-12-30T14:52:20Z")
1. Something with a lot of vowels. 2. Coffee? 3. Work probably. 4. There are studies you can find, but relatively they don’t like to be too close similar to related cultures. 5. Yes. **Relatively** speaking they are one of the more pro-gun countries in Europe and have a relatively high ownership rate (although #/100,000 people is a terrible metric). As mentioned above one of the most prolific killers of Soviets is well-regarded (Simo Hayhaa). Strong hunting culture similar to Norway but less like SE or DK. 6. The Nordic countries are generally expensive in all ways but Finland is not the worst in most ways. ---
**Author:** ![Arrogance\_Ex\_Machina](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/arrogance_ex_machina/32/192_2.png) [@Arrogance\_Ex\_Machina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arrogance_Ex_Machina)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2014, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-finns-like/708433/51 "2014-12-30T14:52:30Z")
> [@Urbanredneck](#): > > Ok, tell me: > > 1. What does the average Finn like for breakfast? > 2. How do they like their coffee? Or are they more of tea drinkers? > 3. What is a Finns favorite snack when watching tv? When at a live sporting event? > 4. What is a Finns favorite brand of auto? Of motorcycle? > 5. Do they prefer showers or baths? > 6. How would an angry Finn tell someone"I’m going to kick your ass"? > 7. What is one of the biggest culture shocks Finns seem to have when first visiting the US? > 8. Do lots of Finnish men have tattoos? if so what do they like in tattoos? > 9. Why do most Finns immigrate to the US? Money? Love? Climate? > 10. Is the noon meal the big thing for Finns like it is for say the French? > 11. Do Finns prefer lots of small meals a day like the Danes? > 12. Do Finns like to shake hands when greeting someone? > 13. What is the Finnish “comfort zone”? Meaning how close do they prefer to stand from someone? > 14. Are firearms legal in Finland? Do many Finns own guns? > 15. In Finland are things taxed as high as they are say in Denmark? > All for now. Uhm… I guess I’ll fight ignorance this once. 1. Our breakfast is completely normal Western thing with coffee/tea/porridge/eggs/bread/yoghurt/cereal etc (not all of those at once of course). 2. Finns are one of the world’s top coffee drinkers, actually. I drink tea but it’s a pain to always be the odd one out with a special request so these days I often drink coffee when I’m not at home. 3. Uh … no idea. Potato chips when watching TV, maybe? I don’t go to sports events at all. 4. Dunno, probably something boring like Toyota. 5. Showers + sauna. Or just a shower if there’s no time for sauna. 6. “Kohta saat turpiis!” (something along the lines of “soon I’ll hit you in the mouth”) There’s a million variations though. 7. For me (I lived 3 months in CA) it was the fact you just can’t function without a car - you can’t walk anywhere. We know US pretty well from TV and movies though. 8. We tend to lag a bit in trends, but tattoos are so old by now that I figure there’s plenty of them here too. I’ve certainly seen enough new tattoo shops. My cousin has a band of thorns around his biceps and my brother has his blood type tattoo on his shoulder. 9. Work, probably. Though I’m sure some want to escape our cold, dark and dreary winters (current day length here is 5h 35 min or so, and I’m in Southern Finland). 10. Lunch is lunch, it’s not a big deal but those of us working normal office hours get the usual 30 min or 1h lunch break. 11. Erm … no idea. I didn’t see much difference between our and US eating habits, except we aren’t quite as fat as some of you. I had never seen a ball-shaped human being before I visited US. 12. Yes. Relatives may hug instead, though that depends on the family. No cheek kisses or other weird habits. 13. A few miles, assuming the comfort zone consists of forest. If it is open area like lake or an open swamp or tundra in Lapland, then more like 10 miles. 😛 14. Hunting guns (rifles, shotguns) are relatively easy to get a licence for - was just reading the news on some 13 year old girl legally taking down a moose (as a part of a larger hunt). Handguns are rare and they are getting harder and harder to get a licence for. Assault rifles, submachine guns and the like are banned from civilians. 15. Yeah, alcohol is especially expensive as is gas. That’s in addition to high income tax. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2014, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-finns-like/708433/52 "2014-12-30T15:07:41Z")
> [@Urbanredneck](#): > > Ok, tell me: > > 1. What is a Finns favorite brand of auto? Of motorcycle? Finnish auto sales by brand and model for 2012: > [@](#): > > **Brand ranking** > > 1. VW 13 914 > 2. Toyota 13 388 > 3. Skoda 8696 > 4. 8503 Ford > 5. 7553 Volvo > 6. 7196 Nissan > 7. 6361 Kia > 8. 6168 Audi > 9. 4911 Mercedes > 10. 4390 Hyundai > 11. 4198 BMW > 12. Opel 3824 > 13. 3326 Peugeot > 14. 3140 Honda > 15. 2982 Citroën > 16. 1449 Seat > 17. Mazda 1345 > 18. 1291 Mitsubishi > 19. Renault 1267 > 20. Chevrolet 1127 > > _Ranking models_ > > 1. Nissan Qashqai 5103 > 2. Skoda Octavia 4534 > 3. Toyota Avensis 4263 > 4. 4224 VW Golf > 5. Ford Focus 3398 > 6. Toyota Yaris 3299 > 7. VW Passat 2683 > 8. Kia Cee’d 2184 > 9. Audi A4 2103 > 10. Opel Astra 2032 > 11. Ford Fiesta 1881 > 12. Toyota Auris 1691 > 13. Kia Rio 1551 > 14. Volvo V70 1524 > 15. 1471 Ford Mondeo > 16. Skoda Superb 1455 > 17. Hyundai i20 1422 > 18. VW Polo 1400 > 19. 1390 Mercedes C Class > 20. Hyundai i30 1341 > 21. 1314 BMW 5 Series > 22. Volvo V60 1298 > 23. Volvo XC60 1251 > 24. Mercedes E Class 1233 > 25. Audi A6 1227 > 26. 1227 Honda CR-V > 27. Honda Civic 1164 > 28. Volvo V50 1160 > 29. Kia Sportage 1088 > 30. 1067 BMW 3 Series The list is broadly comparable to figures for the UK, though the major Ford models are usually nearer the top of the UK list. ---
**Author:** ![stillownedbysetters](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/41988e/32.png) [@stillownedbysetters](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stillownedbysetters)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2014, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-finns-like/708433/53 "2014-12-30T17:22:00Z")
I’ve only known one native Finn (as opposed to Americans of Finnish extraction). She was tall (about 6’), red-headed, square-jawed, smart and no nonsense when it came to business, but could really let loose and party. She was slow to anger, but when she did, she could curse a blue streak (in Finnish) and you had better give her what she wanted or get out of her way. She was incredibly kind and generous and had a very dry sense of humor. She would make the kind of remarks that would catch up to you later and make you really laugh. She spoke four languages well. Although she maintained a home in Finland, she lived in Cypress for the bulk of the year where she ran a placement service for merchant sailors. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2014, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-finns-like/708433/54 "2014-12-30T17:44:08Z")
Nitpick: _Cyprus_. Cypress is the tree. ---
**Author:** ![Bam\_Boo\_Gut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8c91f0/32.png) [@Bam\_Boo\_Gut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bam_Boo_Gut)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2014, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-finns-like/708433/55 "2014-12-30T17:57:41Z")
I know two Finns, they are both likeable. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2014, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-finns-like/708433/56 "2014-12-30T18:23:09Z")
[Finn Balor?](http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2cdgrr_finn-balor-r-evolution-entrance_sporthttp://) [Finn the Human?](http://georgiapoliticalreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Finn-The-Human.jpg) From this selection, we can see that Finns are very diverse. ---
**Author:** ![stillownedbysetters](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/41988e/32.png) [@stillownedbysetters](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stillownedbysetters)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2014, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-finns-like/708433/57 "2014-12-30T18:28:59Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Nitpick: _Cyprus_. Cypress is the tree. Alas, quite true. A pox upon spell check who should have known that. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Asympotically\_fat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e47c2d/32.png) [@Asympotically\_fat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asympotically_fat)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2014, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-finns-like/708433/58 "2014-12-30T18:30:34Z")
Finns are a lot like arms and legs, except you swim with them. You should know this, this shit is basic. ---
**Author:** ![pohjonen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pohjonen/32/423_2.png) [@pohjonen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pohjonen)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2014, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-finns-like/708433/59 "2014-12-30T20:20:58Z")
My dad was a first generation Finnish American. He had nothing to say in two languages. ---
**Author:** ![dirty\_hippie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/57b2e6/32.png) [@dirty\_hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dirty_hippie)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2014, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-finns-like/708433/60 "2014-12-30T20:39:59Z")
Nightwish (Tarja Turunen era). That is all. Should also add kivimetsan Druidi and Ensiferum. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-finns-like/708433.md?page=2)