---
title: "sori"
translation: "Sorry - the light one."
type: "word"
category: "loan"
url: "https://finnishirl.com/words/sori"
canonical: "https://finnishirl.com/words/sori"
published: "2026-10-03"
updated: "2026-10-03"
author: "Andrey the Nomad"
site: "Finnish IRL"
license: "https://finnishirl.com/terms#ip"
---

# sori
URL: https://finnishirl.com/words/sori
Translation: Sorry - the light one.
Pronunciation: /ˈsori/
Category: loan
Archetypes: move, reaction
Region: Finland
Register: casual, skews under 40
Literal meaning: From English sorry.
Tone and safety: Safe for small things. For a real apology it is too light.
Published: 2026-10-03

Quick answer:
- Sori is a loan from English sorry, used for small apologies.
- It is lighter than anteeksi, closer to oops than to a real apology.
- It does not replace anteeksi, which also covers excuse me and pardon. Sori does neither of those.

What it means:
- Sori apologises for something minor. Knocking a chair, arriving a few minutes late, interrupting a sentence.
- It is a genuine part of Finnish now and not a quoted English word, though as an interjection it barely inflects. The real derivative is the verb soritella, to keep apologising.

How Finns use it:
- For small collisions and small delays, mostly among speakers under about forty.
- In messages constantly, where it is quicker to type and lighter in tone than anteeksi.
- Sori vaan adds a little weight. Sori en voi is a soft refusal.
- It stops at apologies. To get past someone in a shop you say anteeks, and to ask someone to repeat themselves you say anteeks or häh, never sori.

Tone and safety:
- Fine for small things at any age. For something that actually mattered it will sound like you are not taking it seriously, and anteeksi is the word.
- In writing to an authority or an employer, anteeksi. Sori in a formal email reads as a text message.

Common mistake:
- Using it as a general-purpose sorry the way English does. English sorry covers apology, sympathy and excuse-me; Finnish sori covers only the first, and only lightly.
- Reaching for it when the situation is serious. The mismatch is audible.

Examples - sori said out loud:
- Said over a shoulder after a near-collision in a doorway.
  Sori, en huomannu sua. - Sorry, I didn't see you.
- Vaan adds a little weight, and mun moka admits whose fault it was.
  Sori vaan, mun moka. - Sorry about that, my mistake.

Examples - sori when you are softening a no:
- Arriving a few minutes late to something informal. For an interview this would be anteeksi.
  Sori että oon myöhässä. - Sorry I'm late.
- A reply to an invitation. Sori softens the opening and the refusal after it is still direct.
  Sori, en voi tulla. Mulla on jo jotain. - Sorry, I can't come. I've already got something on.
- Typed at the top of a long message, which is where sori does most of its work.
  Sori etukäteen, tästä tulee pitkä. - Sorry in advance, this is going to be a long one.

Examples - What you say back to sori:
- The answer, using the verb the loan produced. Soritella is to keep saying sori.
  Turha soritella, ei se mitään. - No need to keep apologising, it's nothing.

Mini dialogue:
A: Sori, mä unohdin soittaa.
B: Ei se mitään.
A: Soitanks huomenna?
B: Joo, käy.

FAQ:
Q: What does sori mean?
A: Sorry, in the light sense - closer to oops than to a full apology. It is a loan from English.

Q: What is the difference between sori and anteeksi?
A: Weight and range. Sori is lighter and only apologises; anteeksi is the fuller apology and also covers excuse me and pardon.

Q: Can I say sori to get past someone?
A: No. That is anteeks. Sori does not do the excuse-me job at all.

Q: Is sori proper Finnish?
A: It is an established loan, inflected like a Finnish word. It belongs to casual speech rather than to formal writing.

Q: Who says sori?
A: Mostly speakers under about forty, and in messages across ages. Anteeksi is the neutral choice in any register.

Related words: anteeks, ei-se-mitaan, kiitos

Sources:
- Kielitoimiston sanakirja: sori, anteeksi (Kotimaisten kielten keskus): https://www.kielitoimistonsanakirja.fi/#/sori
- Kotus dictionaries (Kotimaisten kielten keskus): https://en.kotus.fi/dictionaries/
- Kielitoimiston ohjepankki (Kotimaisten kielten keskus): https://kielitoimistonohjepankki.fi/
- VISK § 1645 - what directives are (Iso suomen kielioppi, Kotimaisten kielten keskus): https://kaino.kotus.fi/visk/sisallys.php?p=1645
- VISK § 1201 - answering with a verb or a particle (Iso suomen kielioppi, Kotimaisten kielten keskus): https://kaino.kotus.fi/visk/sisallys.php?p=1201