Finnish Compound Words – Yhdyssanat
In this article, I want to discuss the structure of Finnish compound words and compare them with how English compound words work.
1. What are compound words?
An yhdyssana (compound word) is a word that consists of two (or more) words glued to one another. In Finnish, compound words are often consistently written as one word. In contrast, English has open (e.g. father figure), closed (e.g. grandfather), or hyphenated compound words (e.g. father-in-law). Some terms can have all three of these options as valid alternatives: for instance, lifestyle, life–style, and life style. For some other words, the spelling is different for British and American English.
The structure of Finnish compound words is as follows: the first word (grammatically this part is usually called the “modifier” – määriteosa) specifies or limits the meaning of the second part. This latter word is referred to in grammatical sources as the “head” – edusosa).
Finnish compound words do have an unpredictable factor: they can have an -n- in the middle of the word. There are some guidelines for when to use this genitive -n.
2. The famous examples
If you’re going to be reading up on Finnish compound words from an English source, you’re guaranteed to come across some of the following examples. These are examples of compounds where the ingenuity of Finnish compounds is admired greatly by non-Finnish speakers: “Computers are literally knowledge machines, wow!”
Finnish | English | English |
---|---|---|
tietokone | computer | tieto “knowledge” + kone “machine” |
jääkaappi | fridge | jää “ice” + kaappi “cupboard” |
lentokone | airplane | lento “flight” + kone “machine” |
sukkahousut | tights | sukka “sock” + housut “pants” |
3. English and Finnish compound words sometimes match up
While directly translating anything from English to Finnish is strongly advised against, sometimes the two languages do match up – at least as far as compound words go. The following table contains words that have a similar construction in both languages
Finnish | English | English |
---|---|---|
kengännauha | shoelace | kenkä “shoe” (gen) + nauha “lace” |
liikennevalot | traffic lights | liikenne “traffic” + valot “lights” |
lumihiutale | snowflake | lumi “snow” + hiutale “flake” |
kävelykeppi | walking stick | kävely “walking” + keppi “stick” |
hiekkalinna | sandcastle | hiekka “sand” + linna “castle” |
kirjanmerkki | bookmark | kirja “book” (gen) + merkki “mark” |
sivunumero | page number | sivu “page” + numero “number” |
vieraslista | guest list | vieras “guest” + lista “list” |
tuulimylly | windmill | tuuli “wind” + mylly “mill” |
kultakaivos | goldmine | kulta “gold” + kaivos “mine” |
hätäjarru | emergency brake | hätä “emergency” + jarru “brake” |
neliömetri | square meter | neliö “square” + metri “meter” |
purjevene | sailboat | purje “sail” + vene “boat” |
aikapommi | time bomb | aika “time” + pommi “bomb” |
nyrkkitappelu | fistfight | nyrkki “fist” + tappelu “fight” |
verenpaine | blood pressure | veri “blood” (gen) + paine “pressure” |
nettiyhteys | internet connection | netti “internet” + yhteys “connection” |
kynsilakka | nail varnish | kynsi “nail” + lakka “varnish” |
viikonloppu | weekend | viikko “week” (gen) + loppu “end” |
auringonnousu | sunrise | aurinko “sun” (gen) + nousu “rise” |
syntymäpäivä | birthday | syntymä “birth” + päivä “day” |
pyörätuoli | wheelchair | pyörä “wheel” + tuoli “chair” |
taideteos | artwork | taide “art” + teos “work” |
korkkiruuvi | corkscrew | korkki “cork” + ruuvi “screw” |
4. Different combinations inside compound words in English and Finnish
English and Finnish sometimes both utilize a compound word to name something, but the compound consists of different elements. I find this extremely interesting. For examples, “health insurance” in Finnish is literally “sickness insurance”. Here’s some examples explained, followed by a table which contains some more compounds with a similar shift in focus.
- Chairman: I’ll take a guess that the English word probably dates back to the days when important people were carried around in chairs. In Finnish, we focus on what the chairman does: they’re a puheenjohtaja “speech leader”.
- Blackboard: English focuses on the color of the board. Finnish focuses on what you use to write on it: you need liitu “chalk” to write on a liitutaulu “chalk board”.
- Lipstick: English focuses on the form of the thing you put at your lips. Finnish focuses on the color: huulipuna is literally “lip red”.
- Skyscraper: the English compound combines “sky” and the more rough verb “to scrape” as a basis for this word, while the Finnish pilvenpiirtäjä combines pilvi “cloud” and the more artistic verb piirtää “to draw”.
Finnish | English | English |
---|---|---|
sairausvakuutus | health insurance | sairaus “sickness” + vakuutus “insurance” |
puheenjohtaja | chairman | puhe “speech” (gen) + johtaja “leader” |
liitutaulu | blackboard | liitu “chalk” + taulu “board” |
huulipuna | lipstick | huuli “lip” + puna “red” |
taskulamppu | flashlight | tasku “pocket” + lamppu “lamp” |
kermavaahto | whipped cream | kerma “cream” + vaahto “foam” |
täytekakku | layer cake | täyte “filling” + kakku “cake” |
kulmakarva | eyebrow | kulma “corner” + karva “hair” |
olohuone | living room | olo “being” + huone “room” |
pilvenpiirtäjä | skyscraper | pilvi “cloud” (gen) + piirtäjä “drawer” |
hehkulamppu | light bulb | hehku “glow” + lamppu “lamp” |
talouspaperi | paper towel | talous “housekeeping” + paperi “paper” |
syömäpuikot | chopsticks | syömä “eating” + puikot “sticks” |
5. English has a lot of opaque compounds
Especially with more advanced vocabulary, a learner of English has to take extra effort to learn a lot of vocabulary that at first glance isn’t totally transparent. It’s one reason why the latter stages of learning Finnish are easier than the same phase for English learners. For example, when coming across the English word “pedestrian” for the first time, a non-native speaker might be stumped by the meaning of the word. A sufficiently advanced Finnish learner can come across the Finnish equivalent jalankulkija and pick up that the word literally means “leg traveler”. Similarly, a volcano is a “fire mountain” (tulivuori), a globe is a “map ball” (karttapallo) and treason is “country betrayal” (maanpetos).
English can be picked apart if you have some knowledge of Latin and ancient Greek. We can trace the word “geography” back to a combination of ancient Greek words amounting to “earth writing”. Geography is a much more opaque word than the Finnish combination of maa “land, country” and tiede “science”: maantiede means geography. The Latin-based word “carnivorous” can be traced back to meaning “flesh-eating“, which is much more clearly ascertainable from the word lihansyöjä (liha “mean” + syöjä “eater).
6. List of 100 Finnish compound words
The following list contains Finnish compound words that are not compound words in English. I’ve roughly organized them, so the easier words are near the top of the list and the harder ones further below. The abbreviation “gen” between brackets indicates that the first part of the compound word is inflected in the genitive case (e.g. maantiede contains the genitive case form of maa).
# | Finnish | English | English |
---|---|---|---|
1 | sanakirja | dictionary | sana “word” + kirja “book” |
2 | tietosanakirja | encyclopedia | tieto “knowledge” + sana “word” + kirja “book” |
3 | kaulakoru | necklace | kaula “neck” + koru “jewellery” |
4 | allekirjoitus | signature | alle “under” + kirjoitus “writing” |
5 | lautasliina | napkin, serviette | lautas-, lautanen “plate” + liina “cloth” |
6 | jälkiruoka | dessert | jälki- “after” + ruoka “food” |
7 | kirjekuori | envelope | kirje “letter” + kuori “shell” |
8 | tulivuori | volcano | tuli “fire” + vuori “mountain” |
9 | kasvissyöjä | vegetarian | kasvis “vegetable” + syöjä “eater” |
10 | ripsiväri | mascara | ripsi “eyelash” + väri“color “ |
11 | työnantaja | employer | työ “work” (gen) + antaja “giver” |
12 | vuokranantaja | landlord | vuokra “rent” (gen) + antaja “giver” |
13 | savupiippu | chimney | savu “smoke” + piippu “pipe” |
14 | hammaslääkäri | dentist | hammas “tooth” + lääkäri “doctor” |
15 | hajuvesi | perfume | haju “smell” + vesi “water” |
16 | lyijykynä | pencil | lyijy “lead (metal)” + kynä “pen” |
17 | päiväkirja | diary | päivä “day” + kirja “book” |
18 | sianliha | pork | sika “pig” (gen) + liha “meat” |
19 | jäävuori | iceberg | jää “ice” + vuori “mountain” |
20 | tuoremehu | fruit juice | tuore “fresh” + mehu “juice” |
21 | palapeli | puzzle | pala “piece” + peli “game” |
22 | karttapallo | globe | kartta “map” + pallo “ball” |
23 | vetoketju | zipper | veto “pulling” + ketju “chain” |
24 | avioero | divorce | avio “marital” + ero “separation, parting” |
25 | lämpömittari | thermometer | lämpö “heat” + mittari “meter, gauge” |
26 | aikamuoto | tense | aika “time” + muoto “form” |
27 | suihkulähde | fountain | suihku “shower” + lähde “source” |
28 | jalankulkija | pedestrian | jalka “leg” (gen) + kulkija “traveler” |
29 | kuorma-auto | truck | kuorma “load, burden” + auto “car” |
30 | lastenlääkäri | pediatrician | lapsi “child” (plural gen) + lääkäri “doctor” |
31 | viivakoodi | barcode | viiva “line” + koodi “code” |
32 | hammasraudat | braces | hammas “tooth” + raudat “irons” |
33 | hymykuoppa | dimple | hymy “smile” + kuoppa “pit” |
34 | parisuhde | relationship | pari “pair” + suhde “relation” |
35 | polttoaine | fuel | poltto “combustion” + aine “substance” |
36 | asiantuntija | expert | asia “thing, issue” (gen) + tuntija “connoisseur” |
37 | poissaolo | absence | poissa “away” + olo “being” |
38 | vuosisata | century | vuosi “year” + sata “hundred” |
39 | ristiriita | contradiction | risti “cross + riita “argument” |
40 | sukellusvene | submarine | sukellus “diving” + vene “boat” |
41 | avaruusolento | alien | avaruus “space” + olento “being” |
42 | pyörremyrsky | tornado | pyörre “vortex” + myrsky “storm” |
43 | suorakaide | rectangle | suora “straight” + kaide “railing” |
44 | anteeksipyyntö | apology | anteeksi “sorry” + pyyntö “request” |
45 | maantiede | geography | maa “land, ground” (gen) + tiede “science” |
46 | vuorovesi | tide | vuoro “turn, shift” + vesi “water” |
47 | painovoima | gravity | paino “weight” + voima “force” |
48 | huutokauppa | auction | huuto “call, yell” + kauppa “commerce” |
49 | mielipuoli | lunatic | mieli “mind” + puoli “half” |
50 | oikeinkirjoitus | spelling | oikein “correct” + kirjoitus “writing” |
51 | tietokirjallisuus | nonfiction | tieto “knowledge” + kirjallisuus “literature” |
52 | asuntolaina | mortgage | asunto “residence” + laina “loan” |
53 | yhteiskunta | society | yhteis– “common” + kunta “community” |
54 | esi-isä | ancestor | esi– “pre” + isä “father” |
55 | asiakirja | document | asia “issue, matter” + kirja “book” |
56 | elinympäristö | habitat | elin– “living” + ympäristö “environment” |
57 | kulkuneuvo | vehicle | kulku “journey” + neuvo “means” |
58 | yhteenveto | summary | yhteen “together” + veto “pull” |
59 | vuosipäivä | anniversary | vuosi “year” + päivä “day” |
60 | ennakkoluulo | prejudice, bias | ennakko “in advance” + luulo “assumption” |
61 | palkkasotilas | mercenary | palkka “wage, salary” + sotilas “soldier” |
62 | tietokilpailu | quiz | tieto “knowledge” + kilpailu “competition” |
63 | vaihtoehto | alternative | vaihto “exchange” + ehto “condition” |
64 | poikamies | bachelor | poika “boy” + mies “man” |
65 | välimerkit | punctuation | väli “gap” + merkit “marks” |
66 | maatalous | agriculture | maa “land, ground” + talous “economy” |
67 | sivuääni | murmur | sivu “side” + ääni “sound” |
68 | taikausko | superstition | taika “magic” + usko “belief” |
69 | parannuskeino | remedy | parannus “cure” + keino “method” |
70 | muistokirjoitus | obituary | muisto “memory” + kirjoitus “writing” |
71 | ensihoitaja | paramedic | ensi “first” + hoitaja “caretaker” |
72 | maanpetos | treason | maa “country, land” (gen) + petos “betrayal” |
73 | maahanmuutto | immigration | maahan “into country” + muutto “move” |
74 | häämatka | honeymoon | hää- “wedding” + matka “journey, trip” |
75 | aivotärähdys | concussion | aivo(t) “brain” + tärähdys “jolt, shock” |
76 | päivänvarjo | parasol | päivä “day” + varjo “shade” |
77 | edelläkävijä | pioneer | edellä “in front” + kävijä “walker, attender” |
78 | salakuljetus | smuggling | sala “secret” + kuljetus “transport” |
79 | käsikirjoitus | script | käsi “hand” + kirjoitus “writing” |
80 | vuorovaikutus | interaction | vuoro “turn” + vaikutus “influence, effect” |
81 | norsunluu | ivory | norsu “elephant” (gen)+ luu “bone” |
82 | siirtomaa | colony | siirto “move” + maa “country, land” |
83 | vallankumous | revolution | valta “power” + kumous “undoing, revert” |
84 | ruoansulatus | digestion | ruoka “food” (gen) + sulatus “melting” |
85 | oireyhtymä | syndrome | oire “symptom” + yhtymä “junction, combine” |
86 | henkilökunta | staff, personnel | henkilö “person” + kunta “community” |
87 | sisällissota | civil war | sisällis- “internal” + sota “war” |
88 | opetussuunnitelma | curriculum | opetus “teaching” + suunnitelma “plan” |
89 | väitöskirja | dissertation | väitös “assertion, claim” + kirja “book” |
90 | nälänhätä | famine | nälkä “hunger” (gen) + hätä “emergency” |
91 | kauppasaarto | embargo | kauppa “commerce” + saarto “blockade” |
92 | metalliseos | alloy | metalli “metal” + seos “mixture” |
93 | mittakaava | scale | mitta “measure” + kaava “layout” |
94 | ilkivalta | vandalism | ilki- “bad, troublesome” + valta “power” |
95 | salaliitto | conspiracy | sala- “secret” + liitto “alliance” |
96 | ihmisarvo | dignity | ihmis- “human” + arvo “worth, value” |
97 | kiertorata | orbit | kierto “rotation” + rata “trajectory, course” |
98 | salamurha | assassination | sala- “secret” + murha “murder” |
99 | kaksintaistelu | duel | kaksin “dual” + taistelu “battle” |
100 | alkusointu | alliteration | alku “beginning” + sointu “chord (music)” |
That’s it for this article! I do have a lot of other articles on compound words, so check out the following!