I am a Finn and I can tell you... ...he is saying the truth and nothing else but the truth.:D

I have a good friend in Finland. He is a guy, he is handsome and really a caring friend. When I was suffering from depression and insecurity, he helped me a lot not to become suicidal. I thought we were on the way to start a kind of " more than friends" relationship, but he was so remote and sometimes dissapointing, because he showed little interest in me as a woman, though he said, he loved me and wanted me to go to Finland. It was really contradictory. I tried to learn as much as possible about the Finnish behaviour, thanks for the helpful videos. I remember I promised him that I would send him an award winning Hungarian wine ( i live in Hungary) and because of being busy, i could not fulfill my promise for months. ( i had to go to a special wine shop for it ). I could detect that he was thinking of me as a shallow person. Finally I just happened to have time, and could send it to him, and he was so thankful. I was suprised. He was really happy for getting a present. I think that was when our relationship changed a bit. He also sent me a little suprise present, it was really sweet. During the time my emotions went back to the friend zone, I just let it go, did not want to squeeze any more attention out of him, and funnily now he is the one who is writing faithfully every day, and planning to come to Hungary. And if I don't write or react to his messages in 2-3 days he is holding me responsible for not paying attention to him. Anyway make the long story short, Finnish guys are wonderful friends but they give you a hard time if you fall in love with them 😆😆😆😉😉

"Finns are like coconuts..." The most accurate way to describe a finn. It was so hard starting to be friends with my finnish friend but now I can say he's one of the best men I've ever gotten to meet. Now I'm 3 weeks away from that, invited to meet his family (live), lol! so this video came in the very precise moment for me not to go so silly with my unknowledge of the culture

Do not call Finns Swedes. That'll piss us off.

Ha! Growing up with Finnish grandparents, aunts and uncles. I knew most of these!

Been talking to a Finn for over a year now and laughed at how we have covered all of these things. Although, talking about Sweden/Swedes isn't as bad as mentioning Russia/Russians with the Finn I know. Highly useful tips, as always Aleksi, keep up the awesome work on your videos.

I met a Finn who lived 18 years of her life in Germany. She was NOT your typical Finn. When talking you could NEVER ever get a word in edgewise. Also she had no respect for privacy whatsoever and showed up unannounced ALL of the time. But my all time favorite was when she saw neighbors I was not too keen on and IMMEDIATELY invited them ALL over to my deck to have beer. But she was a rarity by far. :-)

Yeah, I've had those situations where someone assumes that as Finn I'm fluent in Swedish and I was pretty much... nope. English, please.

Great video! Finland looks like heaven for introverts! Also what happened to the giveaway?

Most of these are considered good manners anywhere!! People are rude everywhere, all the time!! But it´s always good to be reminded!! Cheers!!!

As a Mexican-American, I see many similiarities we share with the Finns. I'm learning so much about the country and its people and I find it fascinating. I have had a Finnish friend for almost a year now and he's such a funny, down to earth, compassionate person. He's one of the nicest guys I've ever known. I am proud to call him my friend. Thank you Aleksi for your channel! I am subscribed!

So appearing unannounced, being not invited, to your party that started 5 min ago, entering your home keeping shoes and hat on and lecturing your guests about their alcohol consumption while sitting on their laps is all in all a big No Go? ;-)

I never knew about the hat thing - I'm a 3rd generation Finn in New England, and my father (who wanted nothing to do with Finnish culture, except to boast that the cold never bothered him - he's a 'Finski' lol) used to get ridiculously angry if you wore a hat in the house. Now I understand!! lol

What's up Finntastic Squad! I actually had a lot of fun doing this video. Some of the things mentioned a bit exaggerated/humorous such as the ones with Swedish stuff. Anyways let me know if I these were accurate to you! 💪🇫🇮

Most of these can be summarized in: "Don't be an asshole." Also as with eastern cultures Iranians also don't appreciate you walking in with shoes.

Oh my gosh, Alexi, thank you for message about personal space. I'm coming to spend 10 days in Finland and now I will control my tendency to get up close to people. I'm from the USA and here I guess it is a little different. I am studying Finnish constantly because I would love to make the acquaintance of locals. By the way, I am 80 years young!

Parasta oli kun aikanaan lukion kemian kirjassa käytettiin suomalaisten istumistapaa julkisissa esimerkkinä selittämään miten elektronit asettuu atomin ytimen ympärille. Ensin yksi kullekin alueelle ja vasta sitten aletaan täyttää vieruspaikkoja :''D

Tää oli aika hauska :D sen suomalaisemmaks ei pääsekkään kun sateella ei voi seistä bussikatoksessa koska siellä on joku tuntematon..

Your angry faces are so.. i'd say.. cute. Especially when you zoom in your (:c)-face I crack up laughing. Very fun and informative video though. Liked it.

You know in Italy empty promises are like a polite way of saying ok let's end this conversation and continue with our lives, great video (I'm half Italian half finnish so I get it)

Moi! I just discover your youtube's videos this week and they're very interesting for a Belgian guy like me who loves Finland! I went to Finland 2 years ago for 10 days and something that I really noticed is your last point, don't make empty promises. I noticed that when someone says something in Finland, he/she really say it because he/she think it, otherwise he/she don't say it, like people could do in other country just naturally without wanting to be rude. Really hope to be back in Finland soon! Thanks for the vids!

Moi Aleksi! My greatgrandparents came to the U.S. from Finland, and I agree with all of these! I follow most of them myself! Great job, love all your videos! 👍👏🏻😊

Love seeing this video. I wish this list applied to everyone, everywhere. Would make things easier (for me at least, haha)

I don't care if people are late (unless they make ME late), but I HATE to be late, if I am late my day is over, I will be thinking about it the whole day, and even for days, I'll be thinking on the "what Ifs" that could have make me not be late haha that's why I am never late...but who cares, I am not Finnish, the video is not about "what not to do to a random brazilian girl" lol

This video made me laugh. I'm an introvert and I also hate when people aren't on time. I would do wonderfully in Finland!

I love your videos!😍 Kiitos

Another great video Alexi, loved the humour in it.

Growing up with Finnish heritage in the U.S. the expression I heard if a hat was worn to the dinner table was “Are you Russian?”.

lol as always.. funny AF. haha.. you rock bro. keep em coming

Really excellent stuff. The best is that it is completely true - all of it.

I'm Oscar from China . I saw the stereotype Finnish in my friend's post so i came to KZfaq to find some interesting stuff and came across you Aleksi. It's so good and comprehensive to get to know more about Finns, although have no idea when will i visit your country in the future. But your videos make me feel like that Finns are definitely introverts and polite person , just like our neighbor Japanese. I like Japanese and its Culture tbh, so i guess i would fall in love with Finn culture as well .

Most of these sound like something a Japanese person would hate as well. Aleksi, do you think Japanese and Finnish mentalities are similar?

I am doing Kalsarikännit right now - and I love it.

Sooo true! Although taking off hats was a new thing for me. Thank you!

What a great video and an amazing actor, sir! Haha, Mahtavaa!

New here and loving on your content i just got introduced to you and I must say I am enjoying your content

I went to Suomi with most of my family for 8 summers as a child and teenager to meet distant relatives. What this video does not mention is that Finnish people do not react well to foreigners speaking loudly with others. It is not an argumentative tone but just in a more amplified voice that they may not be used to hearing. But it still takes them by surprise and makes them look angry or confused. If I behaved as my natural American self with my family and there happens to be Finnish strangers around they would stare at me and for very long in some personal experiences. As I noticed that more often it would make me feel awkward and eventually very annoyed after making eye contact back at them. I understand common Finns are not familiar enough with behaviors of people from other countries but not all foreigners mean to be rude and shock anyone. It is uncomfortable and provoking to have people look at you with a contemptible expression though. They really do value a quiet environment with minimal noise to tolerate enough. The country is generally pleasant and worth visiting to but the social experiences in public are not always fun. I’m an American born citizen that has Finnish genes and this is just my honest observation from there

Hi. Thank you for this video. Love it. It is my first time here in Tampere for related training in my work and now I already know those stuff that should not be doing here. Specially wearing bonnet inside. :-)

Do I agree with you... Yes, yes I do! :D Funny how watching this type of stuff about my own country, never gets old!

Seems pretty reasonable advice...practical...mostly common sense.

Wow! such a great video, i fine that some of the things you said here are also in common to the germans , for example taking out the shoes when a person coming home , don't skip the que or interrupting. of course it's absolutely not comparing! it's just seem to me familier :) and again, your videos are great :) !! Hyva Suomi! (i hope i wrote it write) i love Finland!

Great video Aleksi. Maybe one day we'll meet each other Aleksi. You're quite an inspiration on me Aleksi!!!

Great video as always! On a side note, have you ever thought of moving your finnish course on a platform like italki? it would be awesome to have you as a private tutor!

The can thing is interesting, in Canada (at least where I live) they have no problem taking back the crushed cans and paying you for them.

Kiitos for all your hard work! I thought for sure that wearing clothes in the Sauna would be on this list.

I am from Brazil and spent a month in Finland back in 2008, during winter. My favourite town was Kolari, most people smiled at me all the time and would start random conversations, but it was hard to communicate with them in English. Some of them had been to Brazil, too. I think I would like to go there again. 🤗😃 Did you guys ever hear about Penedo, a finnish mountain town in the state of Rio de Janeiro?

Love your recommendations. You are on the money, I am Finnish but born and raised in Sweden. I have a big grin on my face.

4:02 i was just about to do that and then you stopped mee🤣🤣🤣🤣 kiitos:))

when you speak about the rivalry between sweden and finland it remind a lot of what's going on in belgium with french and flemish

Awesome video, I have watched it 13 times!!! Or should I say “twelve” (00:04)? 😆

Really impressed with similarities with Japan. Here’s the list things are shared with Japan. 1. Show up without appointments Yes. Japanese people don’t like to be visited in unannounced. (Although they don’t express it) 2. Don’t be late 100% Yes. Being late lose your trust. 3. Remove shoes in house Yes. All houses have a space to remove shoes. 4. Remove hats in house Yes. Basically it’s impolite wearing hats in houses. 5. Alcohol Depends on situations. If your boss asked you drinking, you have no choice. 5. Can crush No. Japan people crash cans as it’s compressed. 6. Personal Space Yes. People in Japan try to keep personal space, although it’s sometimes difficult when you are on subway. 7. Queuing 100% Yes. Although people in Japan will not argue if you skipped a queue, they just stair at you. 8. Swedish No. 9. Praise Swedish Definitely no. 10. Don’t interrupt Yes. but isn’t this globally rude attitude? 11. Bragging Yes people in Japan don’t like to hear bragging. 12. Empty Promises Well, that’s only the thing I found different. They often have a conversation like “we should have a beer someday” at the end of the meeting or party, but it’s hardly happen. It’s more like greeting than making a promise, saying “We had such a good time as we could have beer someday”

Interesting video

Awesome video, Alexi. I thought I was the only person who hates unannounced visits, it's pretty common in my country. My friends like to show up at a random time of the day knocking on my door and take offense when I ask them to arrange it with me beforehand. However, the worst thing on this list for me personally is interruptions, that's hella perkele! As to wearing hats in shops, I didn't know it could piss anyone off. Thanks for the info. Sad, if the hat is cool, I'd want to keep it on at the party too :(

Thanks of all your suggest

I cracked a Finnish man with Aleksi's tips and tricks. :)))) Thanks man! :D

I remember seeing people sleep in tents for the opening of Verkkokauppa in Raisio. The queue was hundreds of metres long.

I love the way they think! I am exactly like them too!! I get annoyed when people make empty promises so much!! DON’T SAY IT IF YOU DON’T MEAN IT!

All the same things piss me off, so now I REALLY want to visit your country! :D

I'm planning to move to Finland from Argentina next year, cultural shock :P so hopefully this will help :P Kiitos

Great Video, Aleski. Interrupting and bragging have always "turned my guts." Now, reflecting on my perceptions and values as one who was born and has grown up in the United States of America, I see perhaps that I have inherited Finnish traits from my family without being fully aware. Kitos, now it is time to go to Sauna.

I live in canada but I was always raised to take my shoes off when I enter a house because of my grandparents, so every time I enter a friends house or a strangers house they are really surprised that as immediately take off my shoes, and I never understood that until now...

On countryside in Finland some people especially some old people come to visit without ringing doorbell and ex tempore. And my grandpa and grandma lock their door only at nights. They live in Central Ostrobothnia :>

Oh Perkele I hope I don't piss off any Swedish people here, but I was in both Finland and Sweden in 2011 and I found that Finnish people were far more polite in general than Swedes. In Stockholm, the people were often kinda snobby, especially the shopkeepers in the old town. Swedish people were more like "of course you wanted to visit Stockholm, it's the greatest city". In Helsinki, Turku, Rovaniemi and other places we visited the locals were polite and kind to us and were happy that we decided to visit Suomi ;) they were more like "You chose to visit Finland? That's great how do you like it here?". I liked both countries but if I had to choose, I would choose Finland.

This is the most accurate video I've seen about our fine nation! With extra heavy metal! well done :)

Jag gillar svenska också! Väldigt mycket, faktiskt. Jag började lära mig svenska på klass 6, och genast blev bäst på min hela klass på det. Detta år har jag lärt mig mer svenska än jag kunde ha någonsin förväntat. Jag låter redan ganska flytande på det och kan till exempel beställa en kaffe utan problem. Jag är upphetsad att visa min lärare hur bra jag är på svenska egentligen!

the coconut analogy was the best

Back when Saku Koivu was captain of the Montreal Canadiens and the team was heading to playoffs, he was asked by the medias if he thought they had a chance to win the Stanley cup. Saku answered something along the lines of, "Let's see how the playoffs go first" and the medias started reporting that he didn't think they could win the cup at all. There were people who complained that he never spoke French to the medias despite living in Quebec for over a decade, but when people skew your words in a fairly simple language you've mastered, it's not really interesting to try your hand at something as difficult and complex as French in public.

In love with beautiful Finland and its great culture! As someone who is rather silent and extremely disciplined in all of this, I would fit perfectly! Love from France.

Yes yes I agree most of those and they make so much sense. Hubby also agree that I am crazy about those things too. Also I can tell you one more thing : As a Finn I ALWAYS wan't to open windows whenever possible...Americans do NOT do that that often at all or never. I do not know one household where that is done ! Thanks for the great video Aleksi 👍😀💗🇫🇮

Do I agree? I was born and grew up in Australia but my father was Finnish. Everything you mention comes naturally to me. I've often been considered socially awkward in Australia. I'm not weird, I'm just part Finnish. 😅 As the t shirt says; "I'm Finnish. I like coffee and, like, two people".

Sounds a lot like the north of the netherlands haha. Also, no6 is so awesome. Sometimes i feel like taking our cans from the netherlands to Finland when i go there again 😂

13 is a very good point. As a naturalized American, I am now kind of used to receiving empty promises of "meeting soon for dinner" or "being in touch regarding ____" and am guilty of making them too. That said, as a person of Indian origin, empty promises are something you do not make in India too.

Hyvä video! Minä olen suomalainen, eli minä tiedän nämä kaikki! Tämä oli hassu, ja minä sanoin: 'UGGGH' kuin toinen tippi tuli. 😂😁

About that first one: Showing up unannounced might be ok (if your phone is broken), but you do not walk in like that! Edit: About that second one: If you wish to avoid being late or the need for punctualy then try this (will not work on appointments and alike): Call ahead! Tell that you have departed from you home and tell approximate time it takes you to get there. This way you have rescheduled the time to "when i get there". Realy helpfull during the winter when everything takes longer and delays are to be expected. 3) Just imagine this: People inside will be stepping on whatever you brought in with your shoes. Nobody wants to get their socks wet from the snow you brought with you. 4) This and "3" are also very practical things. During the winter you must avoid getting sweaty as it will feel very cold when you get outside. Actualy this thing should have been "Do no wear outdoor clothes inside". Pants usualy excluded. 8) It's not just ques but rules in general. This country was built on presumption that rules apply to everyone. If you behave like rules do not apply to you then the guy next to you will take the same liberties and then on it is free for all and everyone for themself. And when that goes down you will learn the new meaning for "ruthless". And no, you are not likely to ever see this happen. People are going to put you back to your place long before this happen. 12. & 13. As mentioned in other videos: Be honest and direct but also accurate.

As a person from hawaii, personal space, and not interrupting will be my hardest points to work on, we usually just cut each other off to try and guess what the other person is going to say lol, and we kind of dont have personal space

You forgot about crossing streets In the cross walk with the green light. You get started at so hard if you Jaywalk in Finland!

8:05 That explains why Kimi Räikkönen didn't want Ericsson for a team mate

Hey,You're an amazing! I totally agree with you. As a foreigner living in Finland, I can say it applies to all Finns(well, all the ones I have met😀). I made a video about what I learned living in Finland. I'm sure you relate to it.

Great content -- i despise flakiness too .

Maybe a note of execption about being rather early than late. Casual home parties is a thing where you should take the academic quarter, depending of course if there is gonna be a warm meal. Going to a casual party early can be embarrasing to homeowners just because if they aren't ready yet. Otherwise pretty much spot on... Well using a alchol based cap can be accepted but that is a bit trashy :D

Genius, Alexsi! Lol.

Hahahahahaha, you're so cute Aleksi. Nice tips tho'.

Hehe I think this goes for all the Nordic countries honestly. Well, everyone but Sweden obviously since some of the points were about them. :P You could easily apply the same advice to Denmark at least, everything you said would be perfectly sound advice here as well. :)

In Ireland, the drinking thing is exactly the same, people are confused when you don't drink...for a year I fasted from alcohol and would always just say I was driving or didn't feel like it when offered. Most of the time I was actually driving so it wasn't too bad, but I understand that culture well! As for everything else...I feel like being a Finn is more than just my first name, as I can relate to so much of this!

Growing up 3rd generation Finnsih American from Minnesota... everything you said is exactly how I was raised and these all piss me off too.

Just today saw a woman wearing a hat in buffet in punavuori, 100% mother of finnish family)) Some stuff are pretty international, about interrupting, bragging, praise neighbor country, seats in bus. Nevertheless, your videos are awesome, thank you!

Aleksi obviously knows this but I just wanted to add that there are some areas in Finland where Swedish is the primary language. All of them are pretty small towns but if you somehow end up there, it would actually be polite to speak Swedish :P

"Finns are like coconuts." Well, there we have it, in a nutshell. 😀 🇫🇮

In what culture is it considered "polite interest" to interrupt someone?

Some stuff to keep in mind especially when dealing with getting my partner's family's blessing.

Do shoes that are placed outside apartments or houses get stolen frequently? And I assume one isn't expected to take them off at most workplaces, right? (Except for restaurants and stuff like that, of course, but it's probably more permissable at factories, for example, etc.)

this makes me so nervous... i am planning to move to finland and im from new york......... we are notoriously late, rude, and abrupt. yikes! i like to think that i am polite for a new yorker but i think i need to go thru boot camp lol!

Aleksi, those are very good tips. Your videos are great and I am learning a lot about Finland. I used to date a Finnish girl and I broke her heart. I regret it now. She was good to me. I really would like to visit. Is Finland a happy place? Can a retired person, from the USA, live in Finland with a residency visa? Only draw back to your videos is the lousy background music.

Hi I'm Irish. Like Your videos You video shows Respect for Other people

Funny how life in Greece (where I live) is like a 180 turn around compared to that in Finland. People here are very warm, open and friendly (even to people they see for the first time in their lives) and there's a LOT of physical contact and because of that there is not much, if any, personal space and paying an unannounced visit is a pleasant surprise xD And LoL the shoe thing is also something that is entirely different here in Greece; if you're invited in someone's palce and show up in the house with only your shocks on, you will be given the look, people in Greece do wear their shoes inside the house (it's not a must but they allow themselves to take them off and store them inside there) and usually when you're a guest you dress somewhat formally (not excluding a more casual look ofc) Also, sadly, here in Greece the queue is almost non existent :( When people want to buy something they just go for it and it's frustrating to say the least. However, on 2 of these points our countries do agree; honesty (which is also immensely appreciated here in Greece) and a love for drinks Really glad to know these things as I would really love to pay a visit to as many countries as possible and that includes Finland as well.

02:16.. you are hillarious, man! :)

In Greece, we have as well most of these rules. The difference is that they are not paid much attention. For example, interrupting is considered to be rude in Greece, but it is rare to see someone abide that. So, all might talk simoultaneously without those that were interrupted feel ofended. However, one might tell you ''do not interrupt me please'' or ''be more polite please'', but he says so, because he got angry with something else and not because he got bothered by interruption.

yes i agree with u , i have some finnish friends they are real friends i still cant believe i have such good friends 😘😍

The alcohol part is very accurate.

As a Finn I agree with most of the points, but I also think that in the constantly internationalizing world many of these also depend a bit on the person and how much they have traveled/lived abroad for example. 4. Hats. Starting school in the early 90's I remember us kids getting told about this. I don't know about the situation nowadays in early education, but from my daily experience people don't seem to care anymore, because wearing a hat can also be part of a personal style and nowadays it's also an important value in itself, at least in cities, that people should be free to be themselves. Though of course there are always commentators and matters of taste. This is probably the first time since 90's I hear somebody express dislike towards wearing hats indoors, so I guess people just keep these opinions inside them? 5. I admire people, Finns and foreigners alike, who are pioneering in new ways to socialize and party without caring about Finnish social norms. Sober or with other substances.. like some highly energetic puer tea for example! ;) It seems that the post-millenial generation might even make new norms become mainstream. So #5 in my opinion is: do it, but depending on the company and circumstances. When at an alcohol party it's easier to put yourself on the same wavelength and to tolerate others when you drink a few :)