Karttaamaan

Karttaamaan is a Finnish verb form that functions as the to-infinitive of the verb karttaa, meaning to avoid or to shun. It is a grammatical form used to express avoidance rather than any sense related to maps or cartography, despite the similar look to the noun kartta (map).

The form is built with the -maan suffix that Finnish uses to create the to-infinitive from a stem ending in -taa. As a non-lexical, purely grammatical form, karttaamaan appears in sentences where the action of avoiding something is described, often in contexts related to planning, policy, or behavior. It is not a separate entry with its own meaning; rather, it is a specific verb form of karttaa.

In usage, karttaamaan can occur in various constructions where avoidance is central. It may appear in formal or written language, particularly in contexts discussing strategies to avoid risks, mistakes, or unwanted outcomes. The meaning remains centered on the act of keeping away from or shunning something, rather than any spatial or cartographic sense.

Because karttaamaan is a form derived from karttaa, it is easy to confuse it with the similarly spelled kartta (map). They are etymologically distinct in modern Finnish usage: kartta is the noun for a map, while karttaa and its -maan infinitive relate to the verb meaning to avoid.

See also: karttaa, kartoitus, Finnish infinitives, Finnish verb morphology.