The most famous and most versatile Finnish word deserves a morale patch. If you don’t know it yet, you really should. It is technically a curse word that means "the Devil" but it has so many other functions. You can use perkele as a strong adjective. "Hyvä" is good, but "perkeleen hyvä" is amazingly magnificent. You can also use it as a comma, full stop, or exclamation mark in a sentence. On its own, it can express sorrow, anger, happiness, frustration, surprise, or pretty much anything depending on how you say it. And there are plenty more. Perkele is also the best word for expressing "sisu," the famous Finnish concept described as determination, bravery, stubbornness, resilience, and plain old guts. It gives power to our national character of never giving up no matter what happens. Since it is a perkeleen strong word, it requires a powerful pronunciation. So roll the R like you were a huge, drunken, bearded Scotsman mistaken for an Englishman. When shaped into a Finnish flag, this is as Finnish as you can get. So buy it, perkele! Size 77 x 47 mm (3" x 1.85"). With a hook backing to slap on your Velcro base. These are manufactured by Promler. Made in China.
