Words for Hats

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eva888
Posts: 25
Joined: Sat Jul 27, 2013 4:07 pm

Words for Hats

Post by eva888 » Sun Oct 26, 2014 10:58 am

Hi everyone!

I am writing a post for my blog (www.magellanandpan.com) and I am trying to do a little research. The post is about how Finns have lots of different words for different kinds of hats where in the US we just say "hat." Of course we have more descriptive words, but they're not really used.

So far I have pipo, hattu, myssy, karvahattu and lippis/lippalakki. Can you all think of others? Is there a word for a hat you would wear in the summer like a beach hat?

Thanks for your help!


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Words for Hats

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Pursuivant
Posts: 15089
Joined: Thu Mar 11, 2004 11:51 am
Location: Bath & Wells

Re: Words for Hats

Post by Pursuivant » Sun Oct 26, 2014 11:22 am

Well, to start with hattu and lakki. (Hat and cap)... Names... A few of these are a bit archaic... lätsä, borsa, lättähattu, stetsoni, eedenhattu, huopahattu, karvalakki, koivistolainen, norsunvittu, kommandopipo, akuankka, baskeri, villamyssy, myssy, olkihattu...

Most of those you can direct translate and have their equivalents in English.
lätsä is any flat-cap type, usually well worn out, famous athlete runner "Lätsä-Pekka" always wore a cap
myssy is a pipo, but more voluminous or a womans one, also note a tea-cozy is "pannunmyssy" so "kettle-beanie"
Koivistolainen is a certain style of fur hat, and the elephants pussy is the grey army fur hat, donald duck the navy hat though its usually used for the whole parade kit. Kommandopipo is a blaclava with the eyeholes, not a watch cap.... borsa is of course a borsalino, used as 'fedora', eden is of course a homburg, baskeri a basque beret...

On the beach? Olkihattu or rantahattu?
"By the pricking of my thumbs,
Something wicked this way comes."

Rekkari
Posts: 57
Joined: Fri Aug 02, 2013 5:11 pm

Re: Words for Hats

Post by Rekkari » Sun Oct 26, 2014 1:22 pm

Since winter is approaching: tupsupipo

eva888
Posts: 25
Joined: Sat Jul 27, 2013 4:07 pm

Re: Words for Hats

Post by eva888 » Tue Oct 28, 2014 4:17 pm

Thanks so much!
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CH
Posts: 869
Joined: Fri Nov 11, 2005 10:13 am
Location: Espoo

Re: Words for Hats

Post by CH » Wed Oct 29, 2014 10:00 am

I don't agree with your premise. I would say that the word "hat" would be used in exactly the same case that "hattu" would be used here. You don't use "hat" for "pipo" that would be beanie. Or hat for lippis, that would be cap. Karvalakki... would you just say hat or fur hat? And in the same way as English has a lot of words for different type of hats, but most aren't used, the same goes here.

For beach hat... beach hat- rantahattu, straw hat - olkihattu, sun hat - aurinkohattu, flower hat - kukkahattu. Exactly the same.

ml14
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Joined: Mon Jun 23, 2014 7:21 am

Re: Words for Hats

Post by ml14 » Wed Oct 29, 2014 6:46 pm

Speaking for myself (an English speaker from the US), I see no problem with calling a beanie a "hat" or "cap" unless specificity is required. I could also use the word "hat" for most types of caps that come to mind right now, though it doesn't work the other way around (i.e. not all hats are caps). "hat" is a pretty flexible word in English as I speak it -- perhaps it corresponds better in many contexts to Finnish "päähine" (= any type of headwear) than specifically to "hattu".

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Pursuivant
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Re: Words for Hats

Post by Pursuivant » Wed Oct 29, 2014 11:45 pm

I'll just say karvareuhka to that :lol:
"By the pricking of my thumbs,
Something wicked this way comes."

eva888
Posts: 25
Joined: Sat Jul 27, 2013 4:07 pm

Re: Words for Hats

Post by eva888 » Wed Nov 26, 2014 5:03 pm

Thanks! yeah, as ml14 said we may have lots of words for specific kinds of hats in American English but we don't use them regularly. But here when people say "hattu" they don't mean "pipo." Yes "Beanie" is a type of hat but my mother never said "Don't forget to wear your beanie! It's cold outside." Or "Oops you dropped your beanie - here you go." They would say "hat" in those instances. In Finnish, they would say "pipo" not "hattu".

I even got the idea for the article from several Finnish colleagues of mine who can't believe that our umbrella word "hat" is used for everything.
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