Kappale

Kappale is a Finnish noun with several related senses centered on the idea of a discrete part that forms part of a whole. Its core meaning is a piece, portion, or item of a larger object, structure, or collection. It can refer to a physical segment, a component of an apparatus, or a portion of text or music.

In music, kappale denotes a song or musical composition. It is commonly used in everyday speech to refer to a track on an album or a performance piece, and it appears in contexts such as song titles, lyrics, and program notes. The term is widely understood by speakers of Finnish as a musical work, like “this kappale is popular.”

In other contexts, kappale can describe any distinct element that constitutes part of a larger entity. In publishing and formal texts, it can refer to a section or paragraph of a document, book, or contract. The word has flexible usage and can indicate a subdivision within various kinds of organized content.

Etymology and usage are tied to the broader Finnish vocabulary for parts and pieces. The word is native to Finnish and has developed to cover both physical and abstract divisions. Its precise sense often depends on context, with music usage as a primary everyday meaning and other senses extending to parts of texts, structures, or systems.