Just as the Inuit have dozens of words for different snow types, the Finnish clime has inspired various different Finnish words for loska. So as not to get bored in the coming months with the overuse of loska in your vocabulary, we introduce the Loska Dictionary for Beginners.
Loska: grey liquid-like snow. Almost water.
Sohjo: snow mixed with water. Heavier than loska.
Räntä: very wet snow falling from the sky, turn into sohjo upon hitting the ground.
Riide, riitto: sohjo which has become icy after hitting the ground. Very slippery
Nuoska: snow which is made very soft due to warm weather
And once the real winter arrives, the following lumi-related words might come in handy.
Puuterilumi: powdery snow. Ideal for winter sports
Tykkylumi: snow accumulated in tree branches. Often seen in postcards.
Lumikinos: elongated drifts of snow formed by wind. Children like to jump in them.
Lumihanki: a thick layer of clean, pretty snow. The stuff white Christmases are made of.
Kantohanki: a thick layer of snow with a hard crusted surface. Try walking on this.
The lists are not exhaustive. Many more dialect expressions such as kohva, höykkälumi and rämpsy can be heard around Finland but translations are not attempted here.
No comments:
Post a Comment