You’ve made it to Part 4. This is the reference post — everything in one place.
As we said at the start of this series: sanatyypit is one of the most important grammar topics in Finnish. If you want to write correctly and use the right case endings, this is the knowledge you cannot skip. This cheat sheet is here to make sure it stays with you.
If you’ve read Parts 1, 2, and 3, use this as your cheat sheet. If you’re jumping in here first, use it to find the type you need, then go back to the right part for a full explanation.
The logic is always the same: find the ending → find the stem → add the case ending.
How to Use This Reference
- Look at the last letters of your word
- Find the matching row in the table
- Check the stem — that’s what you add endings to
- If KPT applies, check the direction (strong → weak, or weak → strong)
The Complete Noun Type Table
| # | Ending | Stem change | KPT direction | Partitive | Example | Stem | Genetiivi |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | -a/-o/-u/-ä/-ö/-y | none | strong → weak | + -a/-ä | kana | kana- | kanan |
| 2 | -e | -e → -ee- | weak → strong | + -tta/-ttä | vene | venee- | veneen |
| 3 | -nen | -nen → -se- | none | + -sta/-stä | nainen | naise- | naisen |
| 4 | -i (new/loan) | -i stays | strong → weak | + -a/-ä | taksi | taksi- | taksin |
| 5 | -i (old) | -i → -e- | strong → weak | + -a/-ä | joki | joe- | joen |
| 6 | -si (old) | -si → -de- | strong → weak | drop -si + -tta/-ttä | vuosi | vuode- | vuoden |
| 7 | -is / -as | -is → -ii- / -as → -aa- | weak → strong | + -ta/-tä | kaunis | kaunii- | kauniin |
| 8 | -us/-os/-ys/-ös | + -kse- | none | + -ta/-tä | kerros | kerrokse- | kerroksen |
| 9 | -uus/-yys | -uus → -uude- / -yys → -yyde- | none | replace -us/-ys with -ut/-yt + -ta/-tä | rakkaus | rakkaude- | rakkauden |
| 10 | -in | -in → -ime- | weak → strong | + -ta/-tä | avain | avaime- | avaimen |
| 11 | -ton/-tön | -ton → -ttoma- / -tön → -ttömä- | weak → strong | + -ta/-tä | sokeriton | sokerittoma- | sokerittoman |
| 12 | -nsi/-rsi | -nsi → -nne- / -rsi → -rre- | weak → strong | -nsi → -ntta/-nttä / -rsi → -rtta/-rttä | kansi | kanne- | kannen |
| 13 | -en/-el/-er | + -e- | possible | + -ta/-tä | jäsen | jäsene- | jäsenen |
| 14 | -tar/-tär | -tar → -ttare- / -tär → -ttäre- | weak → strong | + -ta/-tä | tytär | tyttäre- | tyttären |
| 15 | -ut/-yt | -t → -e- | none | + -ta/-tä | kevyt | kevye- | kevyen |
| 16 | -nut/-nyt/-lut/-lyt | -nut → -nee- / -lut → -lee- | none | + -ta/-tä | väsynyt | väsynee- | väsyneen |
| 17 | consonant (loanword) | + -i- | none | + -a/-ä | maraton | maratoni- | maratonin |
Key Cases at a Glance
The table above focuses on the stem and genetiivi. Here are the most important case endings once you have the stem:
| Case | Question | Ending | Example (kana-) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nominatiivi | mikä? | — | kana |
| Genetiivi | minkä? | -n | kanan |
| Partitiivi | mitä? | see table | kanaa |
| Inessiivi | missä? | -ssa/-ssä | kanassa |
| Elatiivi | mistä? | -sta/-stä | kanasta |
| Illatiivi | mihin? | double vowel + n | kanaan |
| Adessiivi | millä? | -lla/-llä | kanalla |
| Ablatiivi | miltä? | -lta/-ltä | kanalta |
| Allatiivi | mille? | -lle | kanalle |
The stem is everything. Once you know the stem, you just add the ending. The only case that doesn’t use the stem directly is the partitive — check the table above for each type.
The Two KPT Directions — A Quick Reminder
Group A (strong → weak): Types 1, 4, 5, 6 — words ending in vowels other than -e. The dictionary form is strong; inflected forms are weak.
tyttö → tytöllä (tt → t)
Group B (weak → strong): Types 2, 7, 10, 11, 12, 14 — words ending in -e or a consonant. The dictionary form is weak; the stem is strong.
asiakas → asiakkaan (k → kk)
Types 3, 8, 9, 13, 15, 16, 17 — no KPT.
The Trickiest Types to Remember
Some types fool learners because they look similar but behave differently:
| These look alike… | …but work differently |
|---|---|
| taksi (new -i) vs joki (old -i) | taksi → taksia / joki → jokea |
| vastaus (-os) vs rakkaus (-uus) | vastaus → vastauksen / rakkaus → rakkauden |
| kaunis (-is) vs varis (-is exception) | kaunis → kauniin / varis → variksen |
| väsynyt (-nut) vs kevyt (-yt) | väsynyt → väsyneen / kevyt → kevyen |
When in doubt: check the genetiivi form. It tells you immediately which stem you’re working with.
Where to Learn More
Each type is explained in full in one of the earlier posts in this series:
- Part 1 — Types 1–6: tavalliset, -e, -nen, uudet i-, vanhat i-, -si
- Part 2 — Types 7–12: -is/-as, -us/-os, -in, -ton/-tön, -nsi/-rsi
- Part 3 — Types 13–17: -en/-el/-er, -tar/-tär, -uus/-yys, -ut/-yt, -nut/-nyt, loanwords
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