joku

Definition from Wiktionary, a free dictionary

Contents 1 Finnish 1.1 Etymology 1.2 Pronoun 1.2.1 Inflection 1.2.2 Usage notes 1.2.3 Related terms 1.2.4 See also

[edit] Finnish

[edit] Etymology

• From the pronoun stems jo- and ku-.

[edit] Pronoun

joku

1. (indefinite) someone, somebody:

   • Joku odottaa sinua.
     • Someone is waiting for you
   • joku muu = somebody/-one else
   • joku heistä = someone of them

2. (indefinite, colloquial) something:

   • joku muu = "something else" and "somebody else"

3. (indefinite, colloquial, adjectival) one, a, any:

   • Äiti, ovella on joku kaupustelija.
     • Mom, there's a salesman at the door.
   • Ota joku näistä!
     • Take one of these!

4. ~ muu = other (not the one previously referred to).

[edit] Inflection

• Case suffixes are regular. Both the parts get the case suffix. Some cases are practically never used (those forms are in brackets in the table). The lative and causative cases are used as adverbs with completely different meanings than "some" or "someone".

Declension of joku noun case singular plural adverbial form singular plural nominative joku jotkut superessive – – genitive jonkun joidenkuiden joidenkuitten delative – – partitive jotakuta joitakuita sublative – – accusative joku, jonkun jotkut lative (joskus) – inessive jossakussa joissakuissa temporal – – elative jostakusta joistakuista causative (jotenkuten) – illative johonkuhun joihinkuihin multiplicative – – adessive jollakulla joillakuilla distributive – – ablative joltakulta joiltakuilta temp. dist. – – allative jollekulle joillekuille prolative – – essive jonakuna joinakuina situative – – translative joksikuksi joiksikuiksi oppositive – – instructive – (joinkuin) abessive (jottakutta) (joittakuitta) comitative – –

[edit] Usage notes

• In principle joku refers to a person and jokin refers to things. Especially in speech, the two words keep getting confused in such a manner that in each case the shorter and simpler word replaces the more "difficult" word. For example joinakuina becomes joinakin, and jokin becomes joku.

[edit] Related terms

Pronouns with same stems:

• joka
• jokin
• jompikumpi
• kuka
• kukaan
• kukin
• kumpi
• kumpikaan
• kumpikin

[edit] See also

• jotta