Hoitoonsa

Hoitoonsa is a Finnish grammatical construction used to indicate that someone or something is placed under the care or guardianship of another person or institution. The phrase expresses a destination or assignment of care, roughly translating to “into X’s care” or “under X’s care” in English. It is commonly encountered in discussions of custody, guardianship, or caregiving arrangements.

The form originates from the noun hoito (care) and is built by combining it with the illative case, which signals direction toward care, and a possessive element that specifies the caregiver. In practice, hoitoonsa appears with a possessive modifier to name the caretaker, such as vanhempien hoitoonsa meaning “into the parents’ care” or isovanhempien hoitoonsa meaning “into the grandparents’ care.”

Usage and context: Hoitoonsa is used in legal, social welfare, and everyday language when describing who has responsibility for a person or thing. It highlights not only the act of care but also who is assuming that responsibility. Examples include phrases in which a child or patient is placed in the care of a specified party. While the exact phrasing can vary with possessive forms, the essential meaning remains the assignment of care.

See also: Finnish grammar, illative case, possessive suffixes, custody and guardianship terminology.