---
name: locale-smn-fi
description: Use when working with the Inari Sami (Finland) locale (`smn-FI`) — its endonym Anarâškielâ (Suomâ), Latin script, left-to-right (LTR) direction, or spoken-population data. Reference data and translation guidance (register, grammar, idiom, typography) for this specific locale; see [[locale]] for general i18n/l10n concepts (BCP 47, plural rules, RTL) that apply across all locales.
---

# Locale: Inari Sami (Finland) (smn-FI)

Reference data for the **Inari Sami (Finland)** locale — endonym **Anarâškielâ (Suomâ)**, written in the Latin script, left-to-right (LTR).

## Identifiers

- **BCP 47 tag:** `smn-FI`
- **ISO 639-1:** not assigned
- **ISO 639-3:** `smn`
- **Script:** Latn (Latin)
- **Region:** FI (Finland)
- **Text direction:** ltr — left-to-right (LTR)

## Speakers (approximate)

- **L1 (native):** 300
- **L2 (additional):** 400
- **L1+L2 (total):** 700

## Pluralization

CLDR plural categories for this locale: **one**, **two**, **other** (3 forms).

- **one** — `n = 1` (e.g. 1)
- **two** — `n = 2` (e.g. 2)
- **other** — everything else (e.g. 0, 3~17, 100, 1000, …)

See [[unicode-messageformat]] for writing plural messages using these categories.

## Translating into this locale

Inari Sámi (anarâškielâ) is a Sámi language of Finland with a few hundred speakers, written in Latin script with additional letters (â, á, č, đ, ŋ, š, ž). It is an official language in the Sámi homeland of Finland. This guidance is lower-confidence; have a native reviewer check it.

**Translate ideas, not words.**

- Do not translate from Northern Sámi or Finnish word by word; Inari Sámi has its own vocabulary and grammar. Use terms developed by the language community and the Sámi Parliament where they exist.
- Re-express idioms by meaning.

**Grammar and register.**

- Cases, consonant gradation, and a dual number; no articles or grammatical gender; a negative verb.
- No formal singular "you"; politeness is carried by tone.

**Orthography and typography.**

- Use â, á, č, đ, ŋ, š, ž; never replace them with ASCII look-alikes.
- Finnish conventions: euro, decimal comma, dates `17.10.2026`, 24-hour clock, quotation marks `”…”`.

## Common pitfalls

- Using Northern Sámi letters or spelling.
- Dropping diacritics.
- Translating through Finnish.

## Learn more

- [[locale]] for BCP 47 identifiers, locale-sensitive formatting, pluralization, and text-direction concepts that apply across all locales.
- [[unicode-messageformat]] for writing plural/selection messages correctly for this locale's grammar.
- Sámi Parliament of Finland (Sámediggi)
- Divvun and Giellatekno, language technology resources (https://divvun.no)