Suuntiin

Suuntiin is a Finnish noun form meaning into directions or toward directions. It is the illative plural of suunta, a word that can denote direction, course, trend, or aim. In Finnish grammar, the illative case expresses movement toward something, and the plural form suuntiin specifically refers to movement toward multiple directions or to multiple directional possibilities. The form is commonly found in contexts involving navigation, planning, or distribution of action and attention.

Usage notes: Suuntiin is used when speaking of several directions or when directing movement toward various targets. It often appears with phrases like kohti eri suuntiin, meaning toward different directions. The phrase helps describe how people, plans, or resources are dispersed or oriented toward multiple ends. The singular illative, by contrast, is suuntaan (into a single direction), while the genitive plural suuntien refers to the directions themselves in a possessive sense (e.g., eri suuntien vaikutukset).

Relation to related forms: The base word suunta also appears in related terms such as suuntaus (orientation or tendency) and suuntautua or suunnata (to orient or to direct). These related forms share the same semantic core of direction, intention, and aiming.

Examples: Ihmiset jakautuivat kohti eri suuntiin. Tämä polku johti meidät eri suuntiin. In both cases, suuntiin marks movement toward multiple directions rather than a single path.

See also: suunta, suuntaus, suuntautua, suunnata.