Raaputtaa

Raaputtaa is a Finnish verb meaning to scratch or scrape by rubbing a surface with fingernails, a nail file, or another hard object. The primary sense is physical scratching or scraping, such as removing a layer of paint, rust, or ice from a surface, or making a mark on a surface by scratching it. The verb can describe both intentional scratching and the act of scraping material away.

In use, raaputtaa is transitive and typically requires a direct object: “Kissa raapi pöydän pintaa” (The cat scratched the surface of the table). “Hän raaputti maalipinnan irti” (He scraped the paint off). It can also be used to describe removing snow or dirt by scraping, e.g., “raaputtaa lunta pois auton ikkunasta” though more common is “raaputtaa lumesta pois.”

The verb has various derived forms, such as raaputtaa (present), raaputti (past), raaputtanut (past participle), raaputtaminen (gerund), and raaputettu (passive participle). The noun raaputus refers to the act of scratching or a scratch itself. Etymologically, raaputtaa comes from the Finnic root raap- and uses the productive -uttaa suffix to form the verb.