Hän SoMe pic: Thank you, English!

Thank you, English! You’ve given the Finnish language plenty of words.

#Hän since 1543

Equality forms a core value for Finland and its people, and the best symbol of Finnish equality is a personal pronoun from the Finnish language:  hän. The third-person singular pronoun  hän  is neutral in terms of gender and social status, so it represents equal opportunity. It is “she” and “he,” all at once, and it has always existed in the Finnish language.

To promote inclusivity and equality, Finland wants to introduce this word – and the thinking behind it – to the rest of the world.

This picture features a photo of two women; one of them seems to be sitting and the other standing behind her. The standing woman is leaning her cheek against the sitting woman’s head and they are gently holding their hands on each other’s faces. On the top edge of the picture is the text “Thank you, English” and on the bottom edge the text “Hän est. 1543”, both in white. The background is orange.


Edited: 17.11.2020