Tarkoittaa

Tarkoittaa is a Finnish verb meaning to mean, to signify, to refer to, or to intend. It is used to express the meaning of a word or phrase, to indicate what something is about, or to express intention. In everyday Finnish it can denote both the semantic sense (what something means) and the speaker’s intention (what one intends to do).

Meaning and usage

- Semantic meaning: Mitä tämä tarkoittaa? “What does this mean?” Sana X tarkoittaa Y. For example, “Sana ‘kissa’ tarkoittaa suomeksi ‘cat’.”

- Indication or reference: Se tarkoittaa tätä asiaa. Kyseinen termi tarkoittaa samaa kuin aiemmin mainittiin.

- Intention: Hän tarkoittaa, ettei hän halua satuttaa ketään. In this sense it is close to “intend” or “have as a purpose.” Negation is formed with ei: Se ei tarkoita sitä.

Synonyms and contrast

- Synonyms in a denotative sense include merkitä or viitata, though merkitä is often more formal or literal (to signify, to denote).

- The noun tarkoitus means “purpose” or “intention,” and while related etymologically, it is a different part of speech and used in different constructions.

Etymology and relation

- Tarkoittaa is related to the same root family as tarkka (careful, exact) and tarkoitus (purpose). The linkage reflects a historical sense of directing or pointing toward something.

Conjugation note

- The verb is common in all registers and follows standard Finnish verb patterns. Present tense forms include minä tarkoitan, sinä tarkoitat, hän tarkoittaa, me tarkoittamme, te tarkoitatte, he tarkoittavat, with variations for perfect and past tenses as in standard Finnish.

See also: tarkoitus, merkitys, viittaus.