# kuohu / vaahto



## Gavril

How do _kuohu _and _vaahto _differ semantically, if at all?

K


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## sakvaka

They both mean a mixture, where gas bubbles are trapped inside a liquid. 

_Vaahto_ and its derivates are more common than _kuohu _and its. _Kermavaahto_ (whipped cream), _muotovaahto_, _vaahtoava meri_, _meren vaahtopäät_, _saippuavaahto_...

This is a photo of a rapid (=_koski_). _Koski kuohuu_ ("makes foam"?). _Hän meloi kosken kuohuissa_. 
http://www.kotiposti.net/juhonkonen/Koski.JPG
_Kuohu_ is used, because a good allitteration is formed by combining those two words - they both start with "k". There's no better reason  _Koski kuohuu_ just sounds better than _koski vaahtoaa_..


If you shake a coke bottle hard and then open it, foam is formed and the drink sparkles all around (=_kuohuu yli_). Also: kuohuviini, kuohuva pullo shampanjaa...

I cannot imagine any other uses for "_kuohu_". There may be some..


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## Grumpy Old Man

_Kuohu_ can be used figuratively: _Hän tappoi miehen tunnekuohun vallassa. Tunnekuohu = _a sudden strong rush of emotion.


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## vield

On the other hand, the type of cream that can be whipped is called _kuohu_kerma. 

I think at least where I live the verb _kuohua_ (also _kuohuta_) is more common than the actual noun _kuohu_. There are indeed some "established usages" as mentioned in the above posts, and I found it difficult to point at any specific difference in meaning before I listed some examples as follows:Saippua ja pesuaine _vaahtoavat_ (also: _vaahto_kylpy), vesi, kastike, tölkkikokis ja myös monet muut astioistaan pakenevat nesteet _kuohuvat yli_, olut ja meri taas voivat sekä _vaahdota_ että _kuohua_...​My current understanding is that _kuohuminen_ is in most cases "less controlled" and "more aggressive" than _vaahtoaminen_. (I still can't say how much the differences in meaning depend on the dialect spoken, though. Also, the verb _vaahdota_ can be used figuratively, meaning that someone rants or speaks in a fervent or even aggressive way... "hän vaahtosi varmaan vartin eläinten oikeuksista"; "älä vaahtoa!")


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