“Katso merta” and other (false) friends

After touching down in Finland, the land of saunas and midnight sun, you're itching to crack the code of the Finnish language – the one that seems like a cryptic crossword wrapped in a tongue-twister. Rumor has it back home, especially if you’re from Italy (because, writer's bias), that some words in your native tongue serve as either Finnish terms or as, let’s say, unexpected icebreakers.

Consider this: revealing these linguistic gems during your first class might make you a classroom legend. Your classmates? They'd remember you as the language hero, the one who made Finnish class unforgettable. But your teacher? They might forever know you as "that amusing student with the cheeky translations".

Rather than risking classroom infamy, why not reserve these treasures for chit-chat with fellow Athenians or tutors over a cup of traditional Finnish coffee? Trust me, it’s a surefire way to bond and find an interesting but still funny conversation topic.

And here's the twist: your beloved Kukka here (still not sure if that's a name, a local flower, or an ancient Finnish dance move) has curated a list of these quirky words (mostly in Italian, because again writer’s bias). Dive in, be the hero in whispers, and let the linguistic hilarity ensue!

Let’s start with the most glorious of them all, of course, Italian. Here’s a comprehensive list of words with respective translations.

Before continuing, it’s important to share this moment recorded during the Italian National Music Content (Sanremo) in 1995, live on the National TV, where the lady screamed “katso merta” with an obvious Italian accent, explaining the Finnish meaning. Of course, the presenter couldn’t have been more embarrassed by this outstanding performance.

https://youtu.be/XHnsyP_39-8?si=0gYisdoN3j45RcXV

Now, let’s move into some English.

And the last one, with a big thanks to our Vallu, is Japanese. The catch is that some Japanese words have similar sounds to Finnish words, for those you can find the English translation. The real translation of the Japanese word is left only in Finnish.

And the grand finale: Meet 'Kukka', the name of our magazine which in Finnish whispers 'flower'. But twist it to 'cucca' in Italian, and oh boy, it's hinting at some bedroom gymnastics! 😳