Päin

Päin is a Finnish postposition that marks direction or orientation. It roughly corresponds to the English word “toward” or “towards” and is used to indicate the direction in which something is moving or facing.

In Finnish grammar, päin generally follows the noun that designates the reference point, with the noun often in the genitive case. It forms directional phrases that describe movement, gaze, or orientation toward something. Common examples include compounds and phrases such as eteennpäin (forward) or taaksepäin (backward), as well as more literal uses like looking toward or moving toward a specified object. A typical sentence structure is noun in genitive + päin, as in auto ajoi talon päin (the car drove toward the house) or katsoin pöydän päin (I looked toward the table).

Päin also appears in fixed expressions and adjectives that describe spatial relation, such as vastapäin, which means facing in the opposite direction. Beyond concrete space, päin can convey a figurative orientation toward a goal, topic, or other abstract reference, though the exact usage can vary by context and dialect.

Etymology and related forms: päin is a directional postposition in Finnish and has cognates or parallels in related Finnic languages. It functions as a flexible particle that combines with nouns to express direction, rather than as a separate verb or preposition. Its usage is characteristic of Finnish spatial language and contributes to a wide range of directional expressions.