-ka

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-ka (front vowel harmony variant -kä, linguistic notation -kA)

From Proto-Finnic *-ka, from Proto-Uralic *-ka. Originally probably an emphatic particle.

ei → eikä

saati → saatikka

(non-productive) Used for emphasis or for prosodic purposes

jo- → joka, ku- → kuka, mi- → mikä

(non-productive) Extends monosyllabic stems to avoid words with only a single light syllable.


-ko

-ko (front vowel harmony variant -kö, linguistic notation -kO)

From Proto-Finnic *-ko, probably ultimately from Proto-Uralic *ko-.

Onko hän täällä? (on > + -ko)

Täälläkö hän on? (täällä + -kö)

Tuleeko hän laivalla? (tulee > + -ko)

Millä sitten - veneelläkö? (veneellä + -kö)

Näkeekö hän? (näkee > + -kö)

Pitäisikö hänen tulla tänne? (pitäisi > + -kö)

(enclitic) Turns a clause interrogative. It is appended to the element of the clause that is questioned most. English equivalents include the normal ways of forming an interrogative statement without using an interrogative pronoun, such as the verb "do", inversion of the word order and intonation.

En tiedä, tuleeko hän.

En tiedä, näkeekö hän.

(enclitic) In indirect questions, -ko/-kö appended to the verb corresponds to the conjunctions if and whether in English.

-kö

the same particle in words with front vowel harmony

Pukeutuikohan hän tarpeeksi lämpimästi tänä aamuna?

I wonder if he put enough clothes on this morning.

Meniköhän hän kouluun tänä aamuna?

I wonder if he went to school this morning.

(enclitic) With the particle -han/-hän attached to the topic of discussion, it expresses "I wonder if".

Emmeköhän me jotenkuten tule toimeen.

(enclitic) With the negative verb (en, et, ei, emme, ette, eivät) and the particle -han/-hän, expresses "I suppose".

Olikko millon tulossa käymään?

(enclitic, colloquial) In a question with an interrogative word.


-kin

From Proto-Finnic *-gik, from *-ka + suffix (possibly lative *-ik). Cognate to Estonian -gi, Votic -tši. The final -n is by analogy with -kaan. The form *-gik was historically standard, and variation is found in some lexicalized terms (e.g. jotain ~ jotakin). The strong grade -k- was originally only used after consonants. Probably also related to Erzya -ке (-ke) in секе (śeke, “the same”), неке (ńeke, “the same (plural)”).

Minäkin söin tänään jäätelöä.

Also I ate ice-cream today. (I wasn't the only one who ate it.)

(Minä) söin tänäänkin jäätelöä.

I ate ice-cream also today. (I also ate it on other days.)

(Minä) söin tänään jäätelöäkin.

I ate also ice-cream today. (I also ate other things.)

Oliko siellä montakin ihmistä?

(appended to any other word than a verb) also, too

Minulla ei ole nälkä, mutta söinkin juuri jäätelöä.

I'm not hungry, but I did just eat some ice cream.

Minulla ei pitänyt olla nälkä, mutta söinkin juuri jäätelöä.

I wasn't supposed to be hungry, but I just ate some ice cream anyway.

Minun piti mennä kauppaan, mutta meninkin kapakkaan.

I was supposed to go to the store, but I went to the bar instead.

"Kuinka sait tavarat ulos kaupasta? Eihän sinulla ollut rahaa!" "Minä maksoinkin luottokortilla."

"How did you get the items out of the store? You didn't have any money, did you?" "[Well,] I paid with a credit card."

Bussi tulikin taas myöhässä.

Vaikka osasinkin jo suurimman osan opetetuista asioista, kurssi oli silti kiinnostava.

Even though I already knew most of the things taught, the course was still interesting.

(appended to a verb) though, anyway, still, nonetheless, nevertheless; often not translated at all, used to underline an action

Hän meni kuuluisaan kouluun ja hyvään menikin.

He went to a famous school, and a good one at that.

at that (in addition to what has been said; furthermore; moreover)

Minäkin osaisin tehdä tämän!

Kuka ikinä onkin, hän yrittää vain saada huomiosi.

Whoever that person is, they are just trying to get your attention.

-ever (when used with a verb that has an interrogative pronoun, often with ikinä for emphasis)

Eikö olekin kaunis?

Used to form rhetorical questions or questions for which the speaker is seeking to have their opinion confirmed.


-s

Contracted from the second-person singular pronoun sa, sä (sinä in modern standard language), but no longer tied to being used in second-person.

Kuules nyt! (addressing one person. quite an established expression of frustration, speaker very impatient)

Kuulkaas nyt! (addressing many people, same tone as above)

Tees nämä tehtävät. (addressing one person, tone less impatient)

When appended to a second-person singular or plural imperative, gives the command or request slightly rude or impatient tone—often with different verbs and different independent particles adjacent, the tone is different.

Laitapas lautaset pöytään.

When appended to the particle -pa/-pä that is appended to a second-person imperative, gives the command or request a slightly more persuasive or inspiring tone.

Jaksatkos sinä?

Eikös Saara opiskele oikeustieteitä?

Mainly in informal contexts: a particle appended to an interrogative suffix -ko/-kö of the verb conjugated in order to bring the conversation partner or a person outside the conversation, talked about, emotionally closer to the speaker, or to create familiarity into the conversation; also to express that closeness or familiarity—sometimes very difficult to translate well into English, in some cases corresponds to tag questions.

Tehdääs tämä huomenna.

(colloquial) appended to the shortened impersonal indicative present form (-n omitted) to soften the command or request or to make it more persuasive.

Mikäs se Suomen pääkaupunki olikaan?

Kukas heistä olikaan sinun lapsesi?

Softens interrogative words, particularly mikä, kuka and their inflected and derived forms, such as when the speaker expects the person addressed to know the answer.


ku

Risto oli puhunu Pekan kaa useemmin ku (mitä) päiväkirja antaa ymmärtää.

Risto had been talking with Pekka more often than the diary lets one understand.


niinku

Colloquial/vernacular form of niin kuin.

Sun on niinku unohdettava se.

Siellä oli niinku viis ihmistä.

like (used when hesitating or as filler; mild intensifier; indicating approximation or uncertainty; used to precede paraphrased quotations)


kuin

Se kävelee kuin ankka.

Kissa on yhtä suuri kuin pieni koira.

Risto oli puhunut Pekan kanssa yhtä usein kuin (mitä) päiväkirja antaa ymmärtää.

Risto had been talking with Pekka as often as the diary lets one understand.

In the structure yhtä ... kuin: as ... as (equative, comparing/equating two things)

Syö niin paljon kuin haluat.

niin pian kuin mahdollista

In the structure niin ... kuin: as ... as (in other senses, such as when the second "as" is followed by a verb or adjective)

Risto oli puhunut Pekan kanssa useammin kuin (mitä) päiväkirja antaa ymmärtää.


-han

-han (front vowel harmony variant -hän, linguistic notation -hAn)

From hän, dialectally (mainly in eastern and northern Finnish dialects) used as an emphatic.

-pa

when surprised at something, softer than -han

Onhan siitä jo kauan aikaa.

It's been a long time since that, after all.

(emphasis)
after all, in any case, although

No senhän me jo kaikki tiesimme.

Expresses a fact that the speaker either considers obvious, or at the very least known to both the speaker and the addressed, and worth reminding someone of.

Mutta eihän sellaista voi tapahtua, eihän?

Pystyyhän kortilla maksamaan?

A particle to express that the speaker has some view on something that they are willing to either confirm or question; attached to verbs, including the negative verb, and the word modified is sometimes repeated at the end of the sentence.

Tässä talossahan määrään minä!

Hey, I'm the one who keeps order in this house!

A particle to express that the speaker is determined about or resistant towards something.

Enhän tehnyt!

Expresses disagreement, particularly in brief exclamations.

Emmeköhän me jotenkuten tule toimeen.

With a negation verb form and the enclitic particle -ko / -kö to express "I suppose".

Olenpahan jotain sentään oppinut.

At the very least I have learned something.

With -pa (-pahan), expresses a particularly strong convinction that one's statement can be corroborated.

Laitoithan tiskikoneen käyntiin?

Näytithän sinä valokuvat äidillesi?

You (made sure you) showed the photos to your mother, didn't you?

A particle appended to an indicative (or more rarely conditional or potential) verb form in order to express the speaker's wish about something

Katathan pöydän?

As particle used to politely ask someone to do something — i.e., to avoid the imperative.

Mehän voisimme aloittaa sitä.

Expresses that the speaker is suggesting an idea that they just came up with; in this case, the clitic always attaches to the subject that must be the first word in the clause, and is often used with verbs in conditional mood.

Tunnethan sinä hänet?

Softens a question for which the speaker expects the answer to be affirmative. Note: replaces -ko; compare definition below.

Kukahan keksirasialla on käynyt?

Guess who rummaged the box of cookies again?

Used in a question where the speaker expects themselves or the addressed to know the answer to. Note: replaces -ko; compare definition below.

I wonder if he put enough clothes on this morning.

Mitä(kö)hän on oikein tapahtunut?

What on earth has actually happened, I wonder?

Expresses wondering in questions, usually with -ko / -kö, or used to simply make questions more polite.

Tulkaahan sisään!

Otahan lisää kakkua!

Softens an imperative verb, causing it to behave more like a suggestion, such as a friendly suggestion or one where the speaker expects the person addressed to do so anyway.

Ollaanhan ystäviä!

A particle appended to a passive or first-person plural imperative verb to express an informal proposal or suggestion.

No tuohan meni hienosti!

A particle to express that the speaker had some (more or less) certain view on something but is surprised after having got to know the truth about it.

Olet kyllä turhaan masentunut opettajasi arvostelusta, sillä tuo maalaushan on aika hieno.

You're sad about the teacher's criticism for no reason, since that painting is [emphasis] quite good.

A particle to express that the speaker had some (more or less) certain view on something but is surprised at the controversial view expressed by some other person.


-pa

-pa (front vowel harmony variant -pä, linguistic notation -pA)

From Proto-Finnic *-pa (clitic) (see it for more).

Tuollapa on paljon kukkia!

Oletpa sinä kaunis!

Expresses that the speaker is surprised at or astonished by something.

Korjaapa lautaset pois pöydästä.

Teepä nämä tehtävät.

Tehdäänpä ne sitten.

Kokeilkaapa tätä mallia.

(informal usage)
Sitä sanotaan että matematiikka on helppoa, vaan yrittäkääpä ymmärtää sitä itse!
They say that maths is easy, yet you try understand it yourself!

please, kindly (appended to an imperative verb form in order to soften the command or request or turn it into a suggestion, or passive to form an urging hortative)

Eipä siinä paljoa ollut tehtävissä.

Well, it's not like there was much that could have been done.

Tuotapa en ollut tullut ajatelleeksi.

Expresses admission or concession, possibly in a way that expresses defeat.

Mutta kuvittelepa maailma, jossa ei olisi ilmastonmuutosta.

But imagine, if you like, a world where climate change did not exist.

if you like (used in giving a non-concrete instruction)

Meidänpä koira osaa laulaa!

Expresses that the speaker is proud of something, also to boast or brag about something.

Taidanpa lähteä kotiin.

Taisitpa sitten lähteä kotiin.

(informal) Used to narrate impulsive actions; when describing the speaker's own actions, expresses that the speaker decided to do the action at the referred time; when describing the (past) actions of the person being addressed, implies that the speaker is looking for an explanation.

Laitapas lautaset pöytään.

Siistipäs huoneesi.

When appended to a second-person imperative with the particle -s, gives the command or request a slightly more persuasive or inspiring tone.

-han

when surprised at something, stronger than -pa

Olisinpa tarttunut tilaisuuteen.

Oispa kaljaa.

(with conditional) I wish (expresses the speaker's desire for something that is not true)

Olinpa ajattelematon.

Sanonpahan vaan!

Adds a general emphatic tone, the exact meaning of which depends on the tone of voice.

Teinpä(s)!

Yes I did! (as a response to someone saying the speaker did not do their homework, for example)

(possibly childish) Expresses disagreement or objection (by arguing) in the form of an exclamation.

Se sinun pitää tehdä, pidätpä siitä tai et.

You have to do it, whether you like it or not.

whether (no matter whether or not), no matter (if, what)

Kukapa minun kanssa haluaisi muutenkaan olla.

I mean, who would want to be with me anyway.

With interrogatives and conditional verbs, used to form self-deprecating, often rhetorical questions.


-kaan

-kaan (front vowel harmony variant -kään, linguistic notation -kAAn)

According to Hakulinen, from earlier *-kahan, composed of -ka (as seen in joka and kuka) and -han, and why the particle is restricted to contexts with negative polarity is not clear. Räisänen (1996) presents an alternative etymology, in which the particle originates from the partitive forms of indefinite pronouns like ketään, mitään, in which it is developed from a reduction of -ka through partitive forms like *mitä-kä > *mitä-ɣä > mitää, and eventually this long vowel was adapted by analogy to other forms. The ending would have developed into a particle that represents negation, as the partitive case is used for objects in negative sentences. According to this theory, the final -n would be analogous to -kin, but this results in a cyclical etymology, as the -n in -kin is generally taken as analogous to -kaan. The particle has also been compared and probably cognate to Erzya -как (-kak).

Jos sinä et korjaa sitä, minäkään en sitä tee.

If you won’t correct it, neither will I.

Mitä muutakaan olisin voinut tehdä?

Kuka tämä herra olikaan?

Used to soften a question, e.g. when the speaker is asking to be reminded of something, or when the speaker is seeking agreement or confirmation.

Se tehtävä ei kuulunut minulle, ja minä en sitä tehnytkään.

That task didn't belong to me, and indeed, I didn't do it.

En haluaisi tehdä sitä työtä päivääkään.

I would not want to do that job for even one day.

Ahtisaarikaan ei osaisi ratkaista tätä riitaa.

Even Ahtisaari could not solve this dispute.

En matkustakaan Italiaan, vaan menen tervehtimään vanhaa äitiäni.

Instead of travelling to Italy, I'll go to greet my elderly mother.

Tänään ei satanutkaan, vaikka aamulla näytti synkältä.

It didn't rain today after all, although the morning looked gloomy.

En syönytkään jäätelöä jälkiruoaksi, vaan piirakkaa.

After all, I didn't eat ice-cream for dessert, but pie.

Used to indicate change of mind or circumstances; indicates confirmation of not doing something, e.g. if someone doubts it, or, when someone is more or less surprised at an occurrence, indicates the reason why some thing was not successful – which is by not doing that something

Kuka ikinä onkaan, hän yrittää vain saada huomiosi.

Whoever that person is, they are just trying to get your attention.

-ever (when used with a verb that has an interrogative pronoun, often with ikinä for emphasis)

Kuinka katoavaista maine onkaan.

Used to form exclamations of wonder, with clauses that begin with an interrogative.


-pas

-pas (front vowel harmony variant -päs, linguistic notation -pAs)

Sinä et tiedä mitään historiasta! - Tiedänpäs!

You know nothing about history! - Yes I do!

Et ole kyllin vanha. – Olenpas!

Jopas jotakin!

Hän yritti taivutella minua, mutta minäpäs en antanut periksi.

He tried to persuade me, but I [emphasis] did not give up.

Saapas nähdä.

Used to stress a contradicting or surprising element in a sentence. Can be attached to all words. No clear translation into English.

Katsopas tuonne!

Äläpäs naura minulle!

Olepas nyt hetki hiljaa!

When added to the imperative verb, makes the command softer. No clear translation into English.


-k

Löytyyk mittä? Are you finding anything?

(Southwest Finnish, enclitic) Alternative form of -ko


-ks

löytyyks mitää?

and Irja Alho (2004)

§ 837 Liitepartikkeli -s kysymyssanoissa

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