Formája

Formája is a Hungarian noun phrase formed from the base word forma, meaning form, shape, or arrangement, plus the third-person possessive suffix -ja. The result is used to refer to “its form” or to talk about the form or shape of something. The word also functions as the noun phrase for "the form" of a thing in contexts where possession is implied or explicit.

Etymology and form

Forma is a loanword that comes from Latin forma, reflecting the long-standing use of the term to describe shape, model, or configuration. In Hungarian, attaching the possessive suffix -ja to a noun ending in a vowel (such as forma) yields formája, which translates to “its form” or “the form of it.” This construction is productive in everyday language as well as in technical or descriptive prose.

Usage

Formája is commonly used to discuss the appearance or structure of objects, designs, or specimens. Examples: “Ez a doboz formája kocka.” (The box’s form is a cube.) “Az épület formája szimmetrikus.” (The building’s form is symmetrical.) In addition to literal shape, formája can appear in contexts about typology, arrangement, or styling, where the emphasis is on the characteristic shape rather than function or color. It is often contrasted with alakja, which more directly signals appearance or character, while forma emphasizes structural or designed shape.

See also

forma, alak, alakzat, formális.