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"Loskakeli", Tampere, Finland

In Finnish there are numerous words to describe the different forms of snow:

lumi: snow
pyry: snow shower
myräkkä: snowstorm
rae: hail
räntä: sleet
tuisku: snow shower with strong wind
laviini: a small avalanche
hyhmä: snow floating atop water
loska: very wet snow; snow, water and mud mixed together
sohjo: slush; snow and water mixed together
ahto: pack-ice (broken & refrozen ice)
ahtauma: a formation of pack-ice
jää: ice
kide: ice crystal
kohva: gray ice formed from wet snow
paanne: multi-layered ice (typically waves crash on top and freeze)
railo: pressure ridge in ice
röpelö: uneven ice
tökkö: ice with frost on top
iljanne: a thin layer of snow atop ice
hanki: a even layer of snow on the ground, esp. if enough for skiing
huurre: rime; granular frost (the white stuff in your freezer)
härmä: frost
kinos: snow drift; a loose pile of snow, esp. one formed by wind
kaljama: a thick layer of ice on the ground, lethal in the spring
kuura: hoarfrost; frozen dew
nietos: a large, hard pile of snow (may be refrozen)
nuoska: "snowballable” snow, usually formed when powdery snow melts a bit
polanne: a hard layer of compacted snow
tykky: large chunks of snow, esp. when frozen onto trees
viti: freshly fallen powdery snow
avanto: a hole in ice
jotos: reindeer tracks in snow
latu: a ski trail in snow
rannio: a reindeer path in deep snow

Sources:

Wiktionary: loskakeli
Welcome to my Finland, Finnish words for snow
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14 comments

Andy Rodker said:

A fine shot, Sami and please forgive me if I don't try and commit your list of 'snow' words to memory!!
2 years ago

Sami Serola (inactiv… replied to Andy Rodker:

Well, even Finns can not remember them all! =D

For example "kohva" is new to me. As Finn, I kind of could have been guessed what it means (before reading the explanation), but never used that word myself.
2 years ago

Ulrich John said:

I‘m very impressed, Sami ! Of the picture and your lesson of the Finnish language ! :-))) !
2 years ago

Karl Hartwig Schütz said:

:-))) Herzlichen Dank für die Erklärung!!!
2 years ago ( translate )

Boarischa Krautmo said:

Guess, I like most the word röpelö ;-))
thought of Smilla, too.....
2 years ago

niraK68 said:

oh, ja das sind viele Ausdrücke
2 years ago ( translate )

Wierd Folkersma said:

excellent picture, I knew a lot of the words, about 10 not.
2 years ago

Amelia said:

Let's hope the snowfall is nuoska, then we can all play some games. ;-)))
2 years ago

Bergfex said:

Hi Sami, welcome back, even with this glance through a window pane with raindrops.
2 years ago

Annemarie said:

ohhhhh
This is great Sami, love the documentation too
2 years ago

Annemarie said:

I love viti!:)
2 years ago ( translate )

raingirl said:

and how many words do you have in finnish for 'melted snow'? (um, i'm seeing a lot of it on that window you are photographing through - haha)

cool photo. i like the juxtaposition of the water drops with the snow background.

favorite finnish snow word? i go for hyhmä: snow floating atop water - that sound beautiful.
2 years ago

malona said:

kind of like räntä and röpelo, in my head thereˋs a rythm corresponding with the meaning :-)
2 years ago

Xata said:

Impressive, Finns are poets indeed and you have a very complex langage as far as I know.
2 years ago