Definitions
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun
strength ofwill ;determination ;perseverance ; regarded as an integral part ofFinnish culture
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
Support
Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word sisu.
Examples
-
Meeri Zetterstrom once told a reporter it was "sisu" - a Finnish word she translated into English as stubbornness - that was at the heart of her success.
RutlandHerald.com 2010
-
Because they live in a harsh environment, they say, they believe in planning, and in tools -- and in a virtue called sisu, which is hard to translate but involves self-reliance and a kind of frontier spirit.
-
The perceived inequalities of the IRB's ranking system stirs the passions of 'sisu' - a Finnish word loosely defined as fighting spirit - in the national team's players, whatever their country of origin.
The Full Feed from HuffingtonPost.com The Huffington Post News Editors 2011
-
ASK Finns about their national character and chances are the word sisu will come up.
-
The former Belgian premier touched on the financial crisis that Finland experienced in the beginning of 1990s and noted how it pulled through with "determination and 'sisu' - a new (Finnish) word for me - or perseverance," he said.
-
Filmi on ilmselt näinud igaüks ning seetõttu tundub sisu tutvustamine üsna absurdne tegevus.
Predator (1987) Ulmeguru 2008
-
Having Finnish "sisu" must have been a great help.
-
Sometimes they called her "Shirl the Pearl" and in the language of her Finnish ancestors everyone said she was blessed with 'sisu' or fortitude.
-
Though a bit undersized, Pihlstrom plays with energy and what the Finns call "sisu".
Hockey's Future 2010
-
Instead of the rapid Blitzkrieg type victory Stalin's high command predicted, the ill-prepared and poorly led Soviet Army marched into a frozen, desolate meat-grinder, learning the meaning of "sisu", a Finnish term that could be roughly translated as strength of will, determination, perseverance, and acting rationally in the face of adversity.
Softpedia - Windows - All Softpedia Games 2010
bilby commented on the word sisu
"'In winter,' says Hannalinna, 'I light a lot of candles, a lot of fires. You need a bit of sisu.' Yes, sisu, that untranslatable, indispensable Finnish concept, a combination of physical, mental and spiritual stamina, a going inwards to a core of strength in the face of solitary adversity. It's a word I've often thought would serve well in Australia, for the pioneers, the wood splitters and early farmers, except that I think the cold and dark are an indispensable part of the sisu mix."
- 'The Arctic Oz' in GW, Guy Rundle, 23 Feb 2008.
February 26, 2008
chained_bear commented on the word sisu
That's a great word. Thanks bilby. I think I could use some sisu today...
February 26, 2008
carlmacki commented on the word sisu
Sisu (Finnish deriv.) possessing mettle or verve
April 2, 2009
qms commented on the word sisu
A Finn, if you press him, resists you;
Compliance is always at issue.
Despite your appeals
He digs in his heels
To show he has true Finnish sisu.
February 15, 2018
bilby commented on the word sisu
Or her.
February 15, 2018