The Finnish citizenship test is in Finnish or Swedish (Migri), and it covers (Migri):
- key laws governing life in Finland
- fundamental and human rights
- equality, including gender equality
- Finnish history and culture
Below are the words I'd learn first, grouped by those topics. They're the words you'd meet in any Finnish text about these subjects, so they'll be useful whether you study the official learning material or just read the news.
I'll add to this list once the official learning material is published, which Migri expects around the turn of the year 2026/2027 (Migri).
How to use this list: don't try to learn it in one sitting. Put one topic at a time into a flashcard app (I use Quizlet), and for each word, write one short sentence you'd actually say. That's the method I describe in how I learned Finnish by banning English.
The test and the application
- kansalaisuuskoe: citizenship test
- kansalaisuus: citizenship
- kansalaisuushakemus: citizenship application
- kansalaisuusilmoitus: citizenship declaration
- yhteiskuntatieto: knowledge of society, civics
- edellytys: requirement, condition
- oppimateriaali: learning material
- monivalintakysymys: multiple-choice question
- oikea vastaus / väärä vastaus: correct answer / wrong answer
- ilmoittautuminen: registration
- koepäivä: test day
- maksu: fee
- todistus: certificate
- erityisjärjestelyt: special arrangements
- hyväksytty / hylätty: passed / failed (also: approved / rejected)
- Maahanmuuttovirasto (Migri): the Finnish Immigration Service
The state and democracy
- valtio: the state
- tasavalta: republic
- demokratia: democracy
- perustuslaki: the constitution
- eduskunta: parliament
- kansanedustaja: member of parliament
- hallitus: the government
- pääministeri: prime minister
- tasavallan presidentti: president of the republic
- ministeriö: ministry
- puolue: political party
- vaalit: elections
- eduskuntavaalit: parliamentary elections
- kuntavaalit: municipal elections
- aluevaalit: county elections
- presidentinvaali: presidential election
- äänestää: to vote
- äänioikeus: the right to vote
- ehdokas: candidate
- kunta: municipality
- hyvinvointialue: wellbeing services county
- viranomainen: authority, public official
- Euroopan unioni (EU): the European Union
A sentence you'll see in some form: Valtiovalta Suomessa kuuluu kansalle. (In Finland, the powers of the state belong to the people.) It's from section 2 of the constitution.
Law and justice
- laki: law
- lainsäädäntö: legislation
- säätää: to enact, to lay down (in law)
- oikeusvaltio: a state governed by the rule of law
- tuomioistuin: court
- käräjäoikeus: district court
- hovioikeus: court of appeal
- korkein oikeus: Supreme Court
- tuomari: judge
- poliisi: police
- rikos: crime
- rangaistus: punishment, sentence
- sakko: fine
- vankeus: imprisonment
- eduskunnan oikeusasiamies: Parliamentary Ombudsman
- valittaa: to appeal, to complain
Fundamental and human rights
- perusoikeudet: fundamental rights
- ihmisoikeudet: human rights
- sananvapaus: freedom of speech
- uskonnonvapaus: freedom of religion
- kokoontumisvapaus: freedom of assembly
- yhdistymisvapaus: freedom of association
- liikkumisvapaus: freedom of movement
- yksityisyyden suoja: right to privacy
- henkilökohtainen koskemattomuus: personal integrity, bodily integrity
- oikeus koulutukseen: right to education
- lapsen oikeudet: children's rights
- velvollisuus: duty, obligation
- asevelvollisuus: compulsory military service
- oppivelvollisuus: compulsory education
Notice the pattern: -vapaus means freedom, and -velvollisuus means duty. Learn those two endings and a dozen words become easy.
Equality and non-discrimination
- tasa-arvo: equality (very often meaning gender equality)
- sukupuolten tasa-arvo: gender equality
- yhdenvertaisuus: equal treatment, equality between people regardless of background
- tasa-arvolaki: the Equality Act (gender equality)
- yhdenvertaisuuslaki: the Non-Discrimination Act
- syrjintä: discrimination
- syrjiä: to discriminate
- vähemmistö: minority
- saamelaiset: the Sámi
- alkuperäiskansa: indigenous people
- seksuaalinen suuntautuminen: sexual orientation
- vammainen: disabled person
- väkivalta: violence
- lähisuhdeväkivalta: domestic violence, violence in close relationships
Tasa-arvo and yhdenvertaisuus both translate as "equality", and that's exactly the kind of difference a multiple-choice question can test. Tasa-arvo is mostly used about women and men. Yhdenvertaisuus covers everyone: origin, religion, age, disability and so on.
Work, taxes and the welfare state
- hyvinvointivaltio: welfare state
- vero: tax
- verokortti: tax card
- Kela: the Social Insurance Institution
- sosiaaliturva: social security
- terveydenhuolto: healthcare
- työsopimus: employment contract
- työehtosopimus: collective agreement
- ammattiliitto: trade union
- työnantaja / työntekijä: employer / employee
- palkka: salary, wage
- eläke: pension
History
The dates are from InfoFinland's Finnish history page (in Finnish).
- itsenäisyys: independence
- itsenäisyyspäivä: Independence Day (6 December; Finland became independent in 1917) (InfoFinland)
- Ruotsin vallan aika: the period of Swedish rule
- suuriruhtinaskunta: grand duchy (Finland under Russia, 1809 to 1917) (InfoFinland)
- autonomia: autonomy
- sisällissota: civil war (1918)
- talvisota: the Winter War (1939 to 1940) (InfoFinland)
- jatkosota: the Continuation War (1941 to 1944) (InfoFinland)
- Lapin sota: the Lapland War (1944 to 1945)
- naisten äänioikeus: women's right to vote (Finland, 1906) (InfoFinland)
- jälleenrakennus: reconstruction (after the wars)
- EU-jäsenyys: EU membership (1995) (InfoFinland)
- Nato-jäsenyys: NATO membership (2023) (InfoFinland)
Culture and everyday life
- kulttuuri: culture
- virallinen kieli: official language
- kaksikielisyys: bilingualism (Finland's official languages are Finnish and Swedish)
- kotimaiset kielet: the national languages
- Kalevala: the national epic
- kansalliseepos: national epic
- evankelisluterilainen kirkko: the Evangelical Lutheran Church
- ortodoksinen kirkko: the Orthodox Church
- juhlapyhä: public holiday
- juhannus: Midsummer
- vappu: May Day
- joulu: Christmas
- jokamiehenoikeudet: everyone's rights (the right to roam in nature)
- talkoot: voluntary group work
- sauna: sauna, of course
A few grammar patterns worth knowing
You'll understand the material much faster if these don't slow you down:
- The passive: järjestetään (is organised), valitaan (is chosen), säädetään (is laid down). Official texts use it constantly.
- -minen nouns: äänestäminen (voting), kotoutuminen (integration), syrjiminen (discriminating).
- -ton/-tön: maksuton (free of charge), puolueeton (neutral, non-partisan).
- Compounds: read long words from the end. Eduskuntavaalit is vaalit (elections) for the eduskunta (parliament).
If the reading side worries you more than the words, read why the citizenship test is also a Finnish reading test.