häntäänsä

häntäänsä is a Finnish word-formation that combines a base noun with case and possessive markers. The base häntä means “tail.” When the illative case (often used to express direction “to” or “into”) is applied and the third-person possessive suffixsä is added, the form häntäänsä appears. The resulting meaning is roughly “to his/her own tail” or “to their own tail,” depending on context and the possessor.

Morphology and formation are typical of Finnish nominal inflection, where case endings attach to a noun and, in many cases, a possessive suffix is appended to indicate ownership. In häntäänsä, the illative ending indicates direction toward the tail, while the possessive suffix marks whose tail is being referred to. The form illustrates how multiple layers of Finnish morphology can interact within a single word.

Usage and context can vary. Häntäänsä can occur in anatomical or descriptive language when identifying a tail that belongs to a specific subject. It also appears in idiomatic or humorous expressions that talk about someone chasing or dealing with their own tail, a common metaphor in many languages for a fruitless or circular effort. Because of its specialized meaning and morphology, häntäänsä is a word typically encountered in grammars, linguistic discussions, or contexts where precise possessive illative forms are relevant.

See also: Finnish grammar, illative case, possessive suffixes, noun morphology, Finnish pronouns.