heräsi

Heräsi is the third-person singular past tense form of the Finnish verb herätä, meaning to wake up or to become awake. The verb herätä is used for waking from sleep, regaining consciousness, or becoming alert, and it can also be used figuratively to describe the emergence of interest, feelings, or opportunities.

Usage and examples:

In ordinary narration, you might say: Hän heräsi aikaisin. “He/she woke up early.” In a figurative sense: Kiinnostus heräsi tutkimuksesta. “Interest arose from the study.” Another example: Uusi mahdollisuus heräsi. “A new opportunity arose.”

Grammatical notes:

Heräsi is specifically the past tense form used with a third-person subject. Other common forms include present tense as herää (I/he/she wakes up, depending on subject), and other past forms such as heräsin (I woke up) or heräsivät (they woke up). The verb is considered a native Finnish verb and is widely used in everyday speech as well as literature.

Etymology and scope:

Herätä belongs to a core set of Finnish verbs with broad usage for both literal and figurative awakening. It is used across contexts—from concrete descriptions of waking to metaphorical emergence of ideas, awareness, or opportunities.