Nojautuu

Nojautuu is the third-person singular present tense form of the Finnish verb nojata, meaning to lean, to rest against, or to incline one’s body toward something. It describes a posture in which the body makes contact with a surface such as a wall, table, or railing. The verb is intransitive and typically used with a surface as the point of contact, often expressed with phrases like seinää vasten or pöytään.

Grammatical notes: The base form is nojata (infinitive nojautua). Common finite forms include nojautuu (present), nojautui (past), and the passive-like participial forms such as nojautunut (past participle). Nojautuu is regularly used in everyday language to describe a person’s stance or position.

Usage guidance: Nojautuu can describe both deliberate leaning and a more casual incline, depending on context. It is frequently found in descriptions of body posture, resting against a surface, or bracing oneself.

Examples:

- Hän nojautuu seinää vasten. (He leans against the wall.)

- Hän nojautui pöytään kuuntelemaan. (He leaned on the table to listen.)

Related terms: nojata (to lean), nojautuminen (the act of leaning), noja (support or rest). The concept is common in descriptive language about posture, architecture, and everyday activity.

See also: Finnish verbs in the same semantic field, such as tukeutua (to lean on for support, with a broader, sometimes figurative meaning).