“Perkele” is so Finnish it describes the national character: grit.

The 10 most-used swear words in Finland, ranked from nuclear to Grandma-safe. Tap “Hear it” to hear each one, or tap a red bar to reveal a word.

1. 1
   vittu VIT-tooC***. Also “f***!”
   Very rude ▶ Hear it
2. 2
   huora HOO-o-raWhore.
   Very rude ▶ Hear it
3. 3
   mulkku MULK-kuDick.
   Very rude ▶ Hear it
4. 4
   perkele PER-keh-lehThe devil. The national swear.
   Rude ▶ Hear it
5. 5
   saatana SAH-ta-naSatan.
   Rude ▶ Hear it
7. 6
   kusipää KU-si-pahPiss-head.
   Rude ▶ Hear it
8. 7
   jumalauta YU-ma-low-taGod help!
   Rude ▶ Hear it
9. 8
   helvetti HEL-vet-tiHell.
   Mild ▶ Hear it
10. 9
    paska PAS-kaShit.
    Mild ▶ Hear it
11. 10
    hitto HIT-toDarn.
    Grandma-safe ▶ Hear it