Learn Finnish: Hauska tutustua, ystävä! - Nice to meet you, friend!

While hauska often means 'fun' or 'funny', it is the standard word used in the set phrase Hauska tutustua to mean 'Nice to meet you.' You might also hear Mukava tutustua, which means the exact same thing.

I learned that the verb tavata means 'to meet'. Why does this sentence use tutustua instead?

The verb tavata means 'to meet' in a general sense, like meeting an acquaintance for lunch. Tutustua specifically means 'to get to know' someone. You use Hauska tutustua only when you are being introduced to someone for the very first time.

Where are the words for 'it is' or 'you' in this sentence?

Finnish commonly drops extra words in everyday greetings. A full version would be On hauska tutustua sinuun (It is nice to get to know you), but people almost always use the short, everyday version: Hauska tutustua.

Is it normal in Finland to call someone ystävä (friend) when you are first meeting them?

Actually, no! In Finnish culture, the word ystävä is usually reserved for close, true friends. Using it when meeting someone for the first time sounds very dramatic, poetic, or like a translation from another language. An everyday Finn would usually just say Hauska tutustua!