Pyöriä

Pyöriä is a Finnish word with two main meanings that depend on its part of speech. It can be the plural form of the noun pyörä (wheel) in the partitive case, or the infinitive form of the verb pyöriä, meaning to rotate or spin. The two uses are unrelated in meaning but share the same spelling.

As a noun, pyöriä is the partitive plural of pyörä. It is used for an indefinite or non-specific quantity of wheels, or after numerals that require a partitive form. The ordinary plural of pyörä is pyörät, but when the quantity is not precisely stated, pyöriä appears, as in useita pyöriä (several wheels) or pari pyöriä (a couple of wheels). For definite counts, the partitive singular pyörää is typically used after numbers (kolme pyörää, “three wheels” in partitive singular).

As a verb, pyöriä means to rotate, spin, or revolve. It is intransitive and describes something turning or spinning, rather than affecting another object. Common uses include natural or mechanical rotation, for example Maa pyörii akselinsa ympäri (The Earth rotates on its axis) or Kellot pyörivät pöydällä (The clocks were spinning/rolling on the table).

Etymology and related forms: both senses derive from the same root pyör- meaning wheel. The two forms—pyöriä as a noun in partitive plural and pyöriä as an infinitive verb—are spelled identically, so their function is determined by context and sentence structure.

See also: pyörä, pyöriä (verb)