Metrissä

Metrissä is a Finnish word that literally means “in metres” or “in the metre.” It is the genitive form of the noun metre, which is the SI base unit of length. The term is used in scientific, technical and everyday contexts when measurements are expressed in metres, the fundamental unit of distance in the International System of Units (SI).

In Finland, as in most countries that adopted the metric system in the 19th century, the word has become standard in education, engineering, construction, and science. For example, a road sign indicating the distance to a city may state “10 km metrissä,” meaning “10 kilometres measured in metres.”

The word is also employed colloquially to compare objects or spaces in terms of their length. A typical phrase might be “Tämä kirja on 30 cm metrissä,” translating to “This book is 30 centimetres long.” Centimetre is the subunit of metre used for smaller measurements.

Because metre is a universal SI unit, the Finnish use of metrissä harmonises with international scientific literature, allowing easy communication of technical dimensions across borders. The term appears in textbooks, research papers, and engineering specifications to denote precise linear measurements.

Metrissä is thus both a linguistic and practical component of Finnish communication, reflecting the broader adoption of the metric system and the importance of standardised units in global science and industry.