jokin

See also: jokin'

Finnish

Alternative forms

• jk (abbreviation, chiefly in dictionaries)

Etymology

Pronoun stem jo- (see joka) + enclitic particle -kin.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈjokin/, [ˈjo̞kin]
• Rhymes: -okin
• Syllabification^(key): jo‧kin

Pronoun

jokin (stem jo-)

1. (indefinite) something.
2. (indefinite, adjectival) some, one, a.
3. what have you

   Nyt tarvittaisiin vasara tai jotain.

   Now we need a hammer or what have you.

Usage notes

• In colloquial Finnish, the forms of jokin (used to refer to non-human things in the standard language) and joku (used to refer to humans) have merged. So in referring to both humans and non-human things, joku is used in everyday speech and writing in the nominative singular (and its form jonkun sometimes in the genitive singular) and the nominative and accusative plural (jotkut), but the forms of jokin are used in all other grammatical cases to refer to both humans and non-human things. This is shown by the following examples of colloquial usage:

  joku mies / jollekin miehelle

  some man / to some man

  joku pöytä / jollekin pöydälle

  some table / onto some table

  and the following examples of formal (standard language) usage:

  joku mies / jollekulle miehelle

  (meanings as above)

  jokin pöytä / jollekin pöydälle

  (meanings as above)

Declension

The case suffixes are regular: only the first part jo- is declined; the enclitic particle -kin doesn't change its form. Some cases have parallel forms without the k. The instructive and abessive cases are extremely rarely or never used. The sublative, lative, and causative forms are used as adverbs.

Declension of jokin noun case singular plural adverbial form singular plural nominative jokin jotkin superessive – – genitive jonkin joidenkin joittenkin delative – – partitive jotakin jotain joitakin joitain sublative jonnekin – accusative jokin, jonkin jotkin lative joskin – inessive jossakin jossain joissakin joissain temporal – – elative jostakin jostain joistakin joistain causative jotenkin – illative johonkin joihinkin multiplicative – – adessive jollakin jollain joillakin joillain distributive – – ablative joltakin joltain joiltakin joiltain temp. dist. – – allative jollekin joillekin prolative – – essive jonakin jonain joinakin joinain situative – – translative joksikin joiksikin oppositive – – instructive – (joinkin) abessive (jottakin) (joittakin) comitative – –

Derived terms

• jollakin tavalla (adessive sg.) = somehow, someway (or another), in some way (or another), (in) one way or another, by some means

Related terms

Pronouns with same stems:

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

See also

• eräs
• yksi