Syypää

Syypää is a Finnish word that translates to "culprit," "cause," or "reason" in English. It is commonly used in everyday conversation to refer to the person or thing responsible for a particular event, situation, or outcome, especially when it is negative or problematic. The term implies an element of blame or accountability.

For example, if something is broken, one might ask "Mikä oli syypää?" meaning "What was the cause?" or "Who was the culprit?". In a more formal context, syypää can be used to identify the responsible party in legal or investigative matters. It denotes the origin or source of an action or consequence.

The word can be applied to both animate and inanimate subjects. A person can be a syypää for an accident, or a faulty part can be the syypää for a machine malfunction. Understanding syypää is key to grasping Finnish discussions about responsibility, fault, and causality. It is a fundamental concept in understanding blame and assigning responsibility within the Finnish language.