ikkunassa

Ikkunassa is the inessive singular form of the Finnish noun ikkunA, meaning window. It marks location inside or within the space of a window, such as within the window opening or the area enclosed by the window frame.

In Finnish, locative cases express location. The inessive suffix -ssa/-ssä attaches to the stem ikkun-, producing ikkunassa. The plural form is ikkunoissa. The meaning of ikkunassa is roughly “in the window” or “inside the window area.” For movement toward a window, different cases are used, such as illative ikkunaan (into the window).

Examples of usage are common in descriptive prose and everyday speech. For instance, one might say, Kissa on ikkunassa, meaning “The cat is in the window,” or Verhot ovat ikkunassa, meaning “The curtains are in the window (area).” In practice, ikkunassa tends to describe objects or people positioned within the window space rather than on its surface; for positions on or near the window’s exterior or sill, other expressions such as ikkunalla (on the window or windowsill) or ikkunan edessä (in front of the window) are more typical.

Relation to other forms is straightforward in Finnish grammar: ikkunan (genitive) marks possession, ikkunasta (elative) indicates moving out of the window, and ikkunaan (illative) indicates moving into the window. Ikkunassa thus occupies a defined place within Finnish locative systems and is used to describe static position inside a window area.

See also: Finnish grammar, locative cases, inessive case, ikkunA.