ahkera

Finnish

Etymology

Uncertain. Traditionally connected with dialectal ahku (“eagerness, zeal”), but this word is likewise of unknown origin. According to Häkkinen (2004), which follows Nikkilä (1998), perhaps a borrowing from dialectal Swedish ager (“hard-working”), but this sense for the word, supposedly found only in dialects within Finland, does not seem to have a particularly wide distribution nor even be the primary meaning in the regions where it is found. Cognate with Ingrian ahkera and Karelian ahkera (both possibly from Finnish).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɑhkerɑ/, [ˈɑ̝xk̟e̞rɑ̝]
• Rhymes: -ɑhkerɑ
• Syllabification^(key): ah‧ke‧ra
• Hyphenation^(key): ah‧ke‧ra

Adjective

ahkera (comparative ahkerampi, superlative ahkerin)

1. industrious, hardworking, diligent [with illative of third infinitive (with verbs)]

   Synonyms: työteliäs, uuras, uuttera

Declension

Inflection of ahkera (Kotus type 10/koira, no gradation)
nominative		ahkera	ahkerat
genitive		ahkeran	ahkerien
partitive		ahkeraa	ahkeria
illative		ahkeraan	ahkeriin
		singular	plural
nominative		ahkera	ahkerat
accusative	nom.	ahkera	ahkerat
	gen.	ahkeran
genitive		ahkeran	ahkerien ahkerain rare
partitive		ahkeraa	ahkeria
inessive		ahkerassa	ahkerissa
elative		ahkerasta	ahkerista
illative		ahkeraan	ahkeriin
adessive		ahkeralla	ahkerilla
ablative		ahkeralta	ahkerilta
allative		ahkeralle	ahkerille
essive		ahkerana	ahkerina
translative		ahkeraksi	ahkeriksi
abessive		ahkeratta	ahkeritta
instructive		—	ahkerin
comitative		—	ahkerine

Possessive forms of ahkera (Kotus type 10/koira, no gradation)
Rare. Only used with substantive adjectives.
first-person singular possessor singular plural nominative ahkerani ahkerani accusative nom. ahkerani ahkerani gen. ahkerani genitive ahkerani ahkerieni ahkeraini rare partitive ahkeraani ahkeriani inessive ahkerassani ahkerissani elative ahkerastani ahkeristani illative ahkeraani ahkeriini adessive ahkerallani ahkerillani ablative ahkeraltani ahkeriltani allative ahkeralleni ahkerilleni essive ahkeranani ahkerinani translative ahkerakseni ahkerikseni abessive ahkerattani ahkerittani instructive — — comitative — ahkerineni second-person singular possessor singular plural nominative ahkerasi ahkerasi accusative nom. ahkerasi ahkerasi gen. ahkerasi genitive ahkerasi ahkeriesi ahkeraisi rare partitive ahkeraasi ahkeriasi inessive ahkerassasi ahkerissasi elative ahkerastasi ahkeristasi illative ahkeraasi ahkeriisi adessive ahkerallasi ahkerillasi ablative ahkeraltasi ahkeriltasi allative ahkerallesi ahkerillesi essive ahkeranasi ahkerinasi translative ahkeraksesi ahkeriksesi abessive ahkerattasi ahkerittasi instructive — — comitative — ahkerinesi first-person plural possessor singular plural nominative ahkeramme ahkeramme accusative nom. ahkeramme ahkeramme gen. ahkeramme genitive ahkeramme ahkeriemme ahkeraimme rare partitive ahkeraamme ahkeriamme inessive ahkerassamme ahkerissamme elative ahkerastamme ahkeristamme illative ahkeraamme ahkeriimme adessive ahkerallamme ahkerillamme ablative ahkeraltamme ahkeriltamme allative ahkerallemme ahkerillemme essive ahkeranamme ahkerinamme translative ahkeraksemme ahkeriksemme abessive ahkerattamme ahkerittamme instructive — — comitative — ahkerinemme second-person plural possessor singular plural nominative ahkeranne ahkeranne accusative nom. ahkeranne ahkeranne gen. ahkeranne genitive ahkeranne ahkerienne ahkerainne rare partitive ahkeraanne ahkerianne inessive ahkerassanne ahkerissanne elative ahkerastanne ahkeristanne illative ahkeraanne ahkeriinne adessive ahkerallanne ahkerillanne ablative ahkeraltanne ahkeriltanne allative ahkerallenne ahkerillenne essive ahkerananne ahkerinanne translative ahkeraksenne ahkeriksenne abessive ahkerattanne ahkerittanne instructive — — comitative — ahkerinenne third-person possessor singular plural nominative ahkeransa ahkeransa accusative nom. ahkeransa ahkeransa gen. ahkeransa genitive ahkeransa ahkeriensa ahkerainsa rare partitive ahkeraansa ahkeriaan ahkeriansa inessive ahkerassaan ahkerassansa ahkerissaan ahkerissansa elative ahkerastaan ahkerastansa ahkeristaan ahkeristansa illative ahkeraansa ahkeriinsa adessive ahkerallaan ahkerallansa ahkerillaan ahkerillansa ablative ahkeraltaan ahkeraltansa ahkeriltaan ahkeriltansa allative ahkeralleen ahkerallensa ahkerilleen ahkerillensa essive ahkeranaan ahkeranansa ahkerinaan ahkerinansa translative ahkerakseen ahkeraksensa ahkerikseen ahkeriksensa abessive ahkerattaan ahkerattansa ahkerittaan ahkerittansa instructive — — comitative — ahkerineen ahkerinensa

Derived terms

• ahertaa
• ahkeraan
• ahkerasti
• ahkeroida
• ahkeruus

compounds

• ahkeraliisa

Related terms

• ahertaa

Further reading

• “ahkera”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎^[2] (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 2 July 2023

Anagrams

• karhea, rahake

Ingrian

Etymology

From Proto-Finnic [Term?]. Cognates include Finnish ahkera.

Pronunciation

• (Ala-Laukaa) IPA^(key): /ˈɑhkerɑ/, [ˈɑxke̞r]
• (Soikkola) IPA^(key): /ˈɑhkerɑ/, [ˈɑxke̞rɑ]
• (Hevaha) IPA^(key): /ˈɑhkerɑ/, [ˈɑxke̞rɑ]
• Rhymes: -ɑhker, -ɑhkerɑ
• Hyphenation: ah‧ke‧ra

Adjective

ahkera (comparative ahkeramp)

1. hardworking

Declension

Declension of ahkera (type 3/kana, no gradation)
	singular	plural
nominative	ahkera	ahkerat
genitive	ahkeran	ahkeroin
partitive	ahkeraa	ahkeroja
illative	ahkeraa	ahkeroihe
inessive	ahkeraas	ahkerois
elative	ahkerast	ahkeroist
allative	ahkeralle	ahkeroille
adessive	ahkeraal	ahkeroil
ablative	ahkeralt	ahkeroilt
translative	ahkeraks	ahkeroiks
essive	ahkeranna, ahkeraan	ahkeroinna, ahkeroin
exessive1)	ahkerant	ahkeroint
1) obsolete *) the accusative corresponds with either the genitive (sg) or nominative (pl) **) the comitative is formed by adding the suffix -ka? or -kä? to the genitive.

Synonyms

• ahnas

Derived terms

• ahkerast

References

• Ruben E. Nirvi (1971), Inkeroismurteiden Sanakirja, Helsinki: Suomalais-Ugrilainen Seura, page 3
• Arvo Laanest (1997), Isuri keele Hevaha murde sõnastik, Eesti Keele Instituut, page 16
• Olga I. Konkova; Nikita A. Dyachkov (2014), Inkeroin Keel: Пособие по Ижорскому Языку‎^[3], →ISBN, page 70

Karelian

Regional variants of ahkera

North Karelian (Viena)	ahkera
South Karelian (Tver)	ahkera

Etymology

Cognates include Finnish ahkera and Ingrian ahkera.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɑhkerɑ/
• Hyphenation: ah‧ke‧ra

Adjective

ahkera (genitive ahkeran, partitive ahkerua, comparative ahkerampi / ahkerambi, superlative ahkerin)

1. industrious, hardworking

Declension

Viena Karelian declension of ahkera (type 4/kala, no gradation)
	singular	plural
nominative	ahkera	ahkerat
genitive	ahkeran	ahkerojen
partitive	ahkerua	ahkeroja
illative	ahkerah	ahkeroih
inessive	ahkerašša	ahkeroissa
elative	ahkerašta	ahkeroista
adessive	ahkeralla	ahkeroilla
ablative	ahkeralta	ahkeroilta
translative	ahkerakši	ahkeroiksi
essive	ahkerana	ahkeroina
comitative	—	ahkeroineh
abessive	ahkeratta	ahkeroitta

Tver Karelian declension of ahkera (type 4/kala no gradation)
	singular	plural
nominative	ahkera	ahkerat
genitive	ahkeran	ahkeroin
partitive	ahkerua	ahkeroida
illative	ahkerah	ahkeroih
inessive	ahkerašša	ahkeroissa
elative	ahkerašta	ahkeroista
adessive	ahkeralla	ahkeroilla
ablative	ahkeralda	ahkeroilda
translative	ahkerakši	ahkeroiksi
essive	ahkerana	ahkeroina
comitative	ahkeranke	ahkeroinke
abessive	ahkeratta	ahkeroitta

Possessive forms of ahkera
1st person	ahkerani
2nd person	ahkeraš
3rd person	ahkerah
*) Possessive forms are very rare for adjectives and only used in substantivised clauses.

References

• P. Zaykov; L. Rugoyeva (1999), “ahkera”, in Карельско-Русский словарь (Северно-Карельские диалекты) [Karelian-Russian dictionary (North Karelian dialects)], Petrozavodsk, →ISBN
• Pertti Virtaranta; Raija Koponen (2009), “ahkera”, in Marja Torikka, editor, Karjalan kielen sanakirja‎^[4], Helsinki: Kotus, →ISSN