What Language Do They Speak in Finland?

Official languages of Finland Finnish, Swedish

Facts last checked 9 October 2026.

Finland has 2 official languages: Finnish, Swedish.

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Languages of Finland at a glance

Official languages	Finnish, Swedish
Number of official languages	2
Countries on this site where Finnish is official	1
People (demonym)	Finnish
Capital	Helsinki
Internet domain	.fi

Languages of neighbouring countries

Norway	Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk, Sami
Sweden	Swedish
Russia	Russian

Finland in context

Finland covers 338,455 km², making it the 66th largest of the 196 countries on this site.
Its population density of about 17 people per km² ranks 176th of 196 (1st = most crowded).
It shares a land border with 3 countries: Norway, Sweden, Russia.
With 5,650,325 people, Finland holds about 5.2% of the population of Northern Europe.
With 2 official languages, Finland has more than most countries on this site.
Traffic drives on the right, and calendars start the week on Monday.
Finland is a member state of the United Nations.

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Useful phrases for visitors to Finland

Everyday Finnish phrases you will hear and use in Finland:

English	Finnish
Hello	Hei
Thank you	Kiitos
Please	Ole hyvä
Goodbye	Näkemiin
Yes	Kyllä
No	Ei

Everyday Swedish phrases you will hear and use in Finland:

English	Swedish
Hello	Hej
Thank you	Tack
Please	Snälla
Goodbye	Hej då
Yes	Ja
No	Nej

Spellings can vary by region, and some languages use different forms for formal or informal speech. Even a simple greeting in the local language is usually appreciated.

Languages in Finland — FAQ