Lastenlapsiin

Lastenlapsiin is a Finnish noun form that means “to the grandchildren” or “into the grandchildren.” It is the illative plural form of lastenlapsi, the word used for a grandchild. The base term lastenlapsi is a compound commonly glossed as “the child of a child,” conveying the idea of a generation later than one’s own.

Grammatical notes: In Finnish, the illative case marks direction toward or into something. The plural illative form is created by adding the suffix -iin to the stem, yielding lastenlapsiin from lastenlapsi. This form is used in contexts where an action is directed toward the group of grandchildren or into a space associated with them, typically in more formal or written language.

Usage considerations: For everyday purposes, Finnish often uses the allative case to express “to the grandchildren,” as in lastenlapsille, especially when indicating giving or directing something toward grandchildren. The illative lastenlapsiin is less common and tends to appear in contexts requiring a sense of movement into a group or a more formal, literary register.

Etymology: The term is a Finnish compound built from lapsi (child) plus a genitive-modifying element to form lastenlapsi, extended to the illative plural as lastenlapsiin. This reflects Finnish compound formation and case-based syntax, where meaning shifts with different suffixes rather than separate prepositions.

See also: lapsi, lastenlapsi, lastennäköinen.