-Vn

See also: vn, VN, .vn, and Vn.

Finnish

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ːn/

Etymology 1

From -hVn where the -h- has been elided between unstressed short vowels.

Suffix

-an, -en, -in, -on, -un, -yn, -än, -ön (linguistic notation -Vn, V corresponds to the preceding vowel)

Forms the illative singular case.

Usage notes

See the appendix on Finnish nominal cases for more information on how the illative case is used.
Used after an unstressed short vowel. The vowel is the same as the final vowel in the stem, thus producing a long vowel.

Examples
word	stem	illative
*jalka*	jalka-	jalkaan
*miniä*	miniä-	miniään
*oikea*	oikea-	oikeaan
*tuli*	tule-	tuleen

Alternative forms

(depending on the preceding vowel (i.e. lengthens the preceding vowel)) -an, -en, -in, -on, -un, -yn, -än, -ön

Etymology 2

From Proto-Finnic *-hën.

Originally a reflexive suffix, which developed into a third-person possessive suffix in Eastern Finnish, Karelian and Ingrian. Thus this was at first found only in the eastern dialects, but adopted into the standard language in the 19th century.^[1]

Suffix

-an, -en, -än (linguistic notation -Vn, V corresponds to the preceding vowel)

The shorter third-person possessive suffix.

Usage notes

Can always be replaced with -nsa, the longer third-person possessive suffix, but not the other way around. Specifically, -Vn can be used:

when the vowel preceding -nsa is a short a, ä and e (general rule, but defers to the next two)
for nominal inflections (including participles and adverbs derived from such), all cases except the nominative, genitive, illative and instructive
for verbal inflections, the long 1st infinitive, the 2nd infinitive, and the 5th infinitive

Alternative forms

(depending on the preceding vowel (i.e. lengthens the preceding vowel)) -an, -en, -än

References

^ Petri Kallio (2021) “Kaksikko aina kaunihimpi? Itämerensuomalaisten possessiivisuffiksien taustaa”, in Taina Saarikivi, Janne Saarikivi, editors, Turhan tiedon kirja: Tutkimuksista pois jätettyjä sivuja (Kirjokansi; 291) (in Finnish), pages 157-173

Etymology 3

From the illative ending (-Vn, etymology 1) attached directly to the verb stem.

Suffix

-an, -en, -in, -on, -un, -yn, -än, -ön (linguistic notation -Vn, V corresponds to the preceding vowel) (colloquial)

Alternative form of -maan

Usage notes

Example: ottaan = standard ottamaan.
Originally a Tavastian dialectal characteristic, but nowadays can be encountered in urban "non-dialectal" speech.