Language courses

Through International House Helsinki (IHH), you can search for Finnish and Swedish language courses. The course search is called Finnishcourses.fi, and it lists language courses from different service providers.

Finland is officially a bilingual country. In Finland, close to five million people speak Finnish as their mother tongue, and half a million more speak it as a second language. Swedish is the mother tongue of almost 300,000 people in Finland.

Although in most places in the Helsinki capital region, you receive service in English, it is useful to know the basics of one of the local languages. Most Helsinki residents (76%) speak Finnish as their native language, and some (6%) speak Swedish.

You can search for language courses organised in the Helsinki capital region, and the service also lists online courses. This means you can start your language studies online if you don’t live in Finland yet, or you can begin your studies once you have arrived.

How to use the language course search

1. Go to the language course search (finnishcourses.fi). The default option is Finnish courses, and the Swedish course search can be found at the bottom of the page.

2. Select your preferred study location:

• If you haven’t arrived in Finland yet or if you want to study online, select online courses.
• If you are in the Helsinki capital region and don’t want to study remotely, select Helsinki, Espoo, Vantaa, or all of them (multiple options are possible).

3. Select your current level or the level at which you want to start your language studies. You can also choose other search options.

4. From the list, select a course you want to participate in. It is useful to read the course description carefully because some courses may, for example, include studying both online and in person.

Please note that the language courses are organised by different service providers, and the cost of the courses varies. The Finnishcourses.fi website also contains links to third-party websites not associated with International House Helsinki. International House Helsinki is not responsible for the contents of websites maintained by third parties.