Editing Helsinki (section)

==Etymology==
According to a theory put forward in the 1630s, at the time of [[Swedish colonisation of Finland|Swedish colonisation]] of the Finnish coast, colonists from [[Hälsingland]] in central [[Sweden]] arrived at what is now the [[Vantaa (river)|Vantaa River]] and called it {{Lang|sv|Helsingå}} ('Helsinge River'), giving rise to the names of the [[Helsingin pitäjän kirkonkylä|village]] and [[Church of St. Lawrence, Vantaa|church]] of Helsinge in the 1300s.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Salminen |first=Tapio |title=Vantaan ja Helsingin pitäjän keskiaika |date=2013 |isbn=978-952-443-455-3 |location=Vantaa |publisher=Vantaan kaupunki |language=fi |trans-title=The Middle-age in Vantaa and Helsinki}}</ref> This theory is questionable, as dialect research suggests that the settlers came from [[Uppland]] and the surrounding areas.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Hellman |first=Sonja |date=7 June 2015 |title=Historiska fel upprättas i ny bok |language=sv |trans-title=Historical misinformation corrected in new book |work=Hufvudstadsbladet}}</ref> Others have suggested that the name derives from the Swedish word {{Lang|sv|helsing}}, an archaic form of the word {{Lang|sv|hals}} ('[[neck]]'), which refers to the narrowest part of a river, the [[rapids]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Utbildning & Vetenskap: Svenskfinland |url=http://veta.yle.fi/svenskfinland/artikel.php?id=23&subject=mellannyland |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080512081641/http://veta.yle.fi/svenskfinland/artikel.php?id=23&subject=mellannyland |archive-date=12 May 2008 |access-date=8 July 2009 |publisher=Veta.yle.fi}}</ref> Other Scandinavian towns in similar geographical locations were given similar names at the time, such as [[Helsingør]] in Denmark and [[Helsingborg]] in Sweden.

When a town was founded in the village of [[Koskela|Forsby]] (later {{Lang|fi|Koskela}}) in 1548, it was called {{Lang|fi|Helsinge fors}}, 'Helsinge rapids'. The name refers to the {{ill|Vanhankaupunginkoski|fi|Vanhankaupunginkoski}} rapids at the mouth of the river.<ref>{{cite web |last=<!--Not stated--> |title=Onko kosken alkuperäinen nimi Helsinginkoski vai Vanhankaupunginkoski? |url=http://www.helsinginkoski.fi/kysymyksetjavastaukset/onko-kosken-alkuperainen-nimi-helsinginkoski-vai-vanhankaupunginkoski/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305220022/http://www.helsinginkoski.fi/kysymyksetjavastaukset/onko-kosken-alkuperainen-nimi-helsinginkoski-vai-vanhankaupunginkoski/ |archive-date=5 March 2016 |access-date=26 February 2016 |website=Helsinginkoski}}</ref> The town was commonly known as {{Lang|fi|Helsinge}} or {{Lang|fi|Helsing}}, from which the modern Finnish name is derived.<ref>{{cite web |last=Jäppinen |first=Jere |date=2007 |title=Helsingin nimi |url=http://www.helsinginkaupunginmuseo.fi/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/sofia_2_2007.pdf |access-date=26 February 2016 |website=www.helsinginkaupunginmuseo.fi |publisher=Helsingin kaupunginmuseo}}</ref>

Official [[Council of State (Finland)|Finnish government]] documents and Finnish language newspapers have used the name ''Helsinki'' since 1819, when the [[Senate of Finland]] moved to the city from [[Turku]], the former capital of Finland. Decrees issued in Helsinki were dated with Helsinki as the place of issue. This is how the form Helsinki came to be used in [[literary language|written]] Finnish.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Jäppinen |first=Jere |date=15 November 2011 |title=Mistä Helsingin nimi on peräisin? |url=http://www.hs.fi/paivanlehti/arkisto/Mist%C3%A4+Helsingin+nimi+on+per%C3%A4isin/aaHS20111115SI1AT02exp?src=haku&ref=arkisto%2F |journal=Helsingin Sanomat |pages=D2 |access-date=29 November 2013 |archive-date=29 November 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129184056/http://www.hs.fi/paivanlehti/arkisto/Mist%C3%A4+Helsingin+nimi+on+per%C3%A4isin/aaHS20111115SI1AT02exp?src=haku&ref=arkisto%2F }}</ref> When Finland became the Grand Duchy of Finland, an autonomous state under the rule of the [[Russian Empire]], Helsinki was known as {{Transliteration|ru|Gel'singfors}} ({{Lang|ru|Гельсингфорс}}) in Russian, because the main and official language of Grand Duchy of Finland was Swedish.

In [[Helsinki slang]], the city is called {{Lang|fi|Stadi}} (from the Swedish word {{Lang|sv|stad}}, meaning 'city'). Abbreviated form {{Lang|fi|Hesa}} is equally common, but its use is associated with people of rural origin ("junantuomat", lit. "brought by a train") and frowned upon by locals.<ref name="nickname" /><ref>Ristkari, Maiju: ''Heinäsorsat Helsingissä''. ''[[Aku Ankka]]'' #44/2013, introduction on page 2.</ref> {{lang|se|Helsset}} is the [[Northern Sami]] name for Helsinki.<ref name="samigrammar">{{cite web |title=Sami Grammar |url=http://people.uta.fi/~km56049/same/svocab.html |access-date=2 January 2015 |website=uta.fi |archive-date=21 December 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141221121024/http://people.uta.fi/~km56049/same/svocab.html }}</ref>