Saksaksi

Saksaksi is a Finnish adverb meaning in German or in the German language. It is used to indicate the language in which something is spoken, written, or translated. The form is part of Finnish language conventions for naming languages with an -ksi ending, and it appears alongside other examples such as suomeksi (in Finnish) and englanniksi (in English).

Formation and usage

In Finnish, language names are often inflected with the -ksi suffix to express “in [language]” or “translated into [language].” Saksan is the genitive form related to Saksa, the Finnish name for Germany and for the German language, and saksaksi specifically marks German as the target or medium. The related adjective or noun forms include saksalainen (a German person) and Saksan kieli (the German language), while saksaksi serves as the adverbial form.

Common uses

Saksaksi is used in statements about language ability, translations, or written text. Examples: Hän puhuu saksaksi. (He speaks German.) Tämä teksti on kirjoitettu saksaksi. (This text is written in German.) Käännä tämä saksaksi. (Translate this into German.)

Related terminology

Saksan kieli refers to the German language, and saksalainen denotes a person from Germany or German nationality. Finnish also uses forms like ruotsiksi (in Swedish), espanjaksi (in Spanish), and englanniksi (in English) to express languages in similar contexts.