hiekoilla

Hiekoilla is the locative plural form of the Finnish noun hiekka, meaning sand. It marks position on a sandy surface and can be translated roughly as “on the sands” or “on sand surfaces.” The base noun hiekka is a mass noun, and the locative suffix -lla/-llä signals location; the plural form hiekoilla is used when referring to multiple sandy areas or when a general sense of several sandy surfaces is intended.

In usage, hiekoilla describes where someone or something is located when the surface involved is sand. For example, lapset leikkivät hiekoilla (Children are playing on the sand). The form is more common in descriptive writing or when contrasting several sandy areas, such as different parts of a beach or a playground with sand.

Notes on nuance: because hiekka is a mass noun, the singular form hiekalla (on the sand) is often preferred when speaking about a specific sandy surface, while hiekoilla tends to appear in more expansive or textual contexts that imply multiple sandy locations. The choice between hiekalla and hiekoilla can affect emphasis on single versus multiple sandy areas.

See also: hiekka (sand), Finnish grammar, locative cases, beach and coastal terminology.