Hän video: This is Hän

Equality forms a core value for Finland and its people, and the best symbol of Finnish equality is a personal pronoun from the Finnish language: hän. The third-person singular pronoun hän is neutral in terms of gender and social status, so it represents equal opportunity. It is “she” and “he,” all at once, and it has always existed in the Finnish language.

To promote inclusivity and equality, Finland wants to introduce this word – and the thinking behind it – to the rest of the world.

The video begins with faces of people of multiple ages, genders and ethnicities in fast glimpses with the text “hän” in white outline on top of the images.

From the line “This is Hän” to “hän is sent out to the world” the video shows a newly born baby at the hospital and at home with family.

From the line “As a child, hän is free to explore nature” to “which hän attends with peers from all walks of life” the imagery consists of children running outside in the nature, playing football and sitting inside in a classroom.

From the line “and hän doesn’t have to come from a wealthy or highly educated family” to “to find opportunities to go further” the imagery consists of graduating upper secondary school students putting on their student caps.

From the line “Through changes big and small” to “hän knows that things have been fixed before” the imagery consists of people working in an office, running outside and spending time with children.

The video ends with a similar montage of faces as it begun with.

finland.fi/hän