Soome

Soome is the Estonian term for Finland. In Estonian, the country is referred to as Soome, and the Finnish language is called soome keel. A person from Finland is typically referred to as a Soomlane. The term is used primarily in Estonian-language writing and speech and is not the standard English name for the country, which is Finland, with Finnish as the language.

Linguistic and historical context explains the usage. Soome serves as a country exonym in Estonian and reflects long-standing naming conventions among Finnic- and Baltic-language speakers for their neighbor across the Gulf of Bothnia. In contrast, the native endonym for the language is Suomi, and the country’s English exonym is Finland. The Estonian forms remain common in Estonian texts, while other languages may use different exonyms or transliterations.

Modern usage and scope. Today, Soome appears mainly in Estonian discourse, dictionaries, and encyclopedic entries when referring to Finland or the Finnish language from an Estonian perspective. It can also appear in historical or comparative discussions about Finnic language naming. Outside Estonian contexts, the term is rarely used and may not be understood without additional explanation.

See also

Finland

Finnish language

Estonian language