Khrys weblog

… this autumn. But if you ask people here, this wasn’t snow (lumi -> “Ei sataa lunta“). It was räntä (“sleet”, in the UK and Commonwealth countries, but not in the US). Finns are quite precise about the snow, since they have experienced it more than many other countries (yes, it’s an understatement). This one is a good example. “Räntä” is very common, while “sleet” isn’t employed but by few people only. Additionally, Finns talk about another 20 different kind of snow, some having more than one name. You can get a list here.
Of course not all of them are used on a daily basis, but a good half of them are. Then Finns probably heard about another quarter of them in songs and literature. The rest probably depends which area you live in.
Damn, I’m gonna have to learn 2 or 3 at least !