joka

Joka is a Finnish relative pronoun used to introduce relative clauses. It refers to a definite antecedent and can translate to which, that, or who in English, depending on the context. In standard Finnish, a singular antecedent is paired with joka, while a plural antecedent uses the corresponding plural form jotka or jotkut, commonly written as jotka in everyday usage.

Examples illustrate its use. Talossa, joka on vanha, asuu vanhempi mies. (The house that is old is inhabited by an older man.) Talot, jotka ovat vanhoja, tarvitsevat korjauksia. (The houses that are old need repairs.) Henkilö, joka tuli, ei odottanut kauaa. (The person who came did not wait long.)

The form of the relative pronoun is inflected to reflect the case and role in the relative clause. Variants such as jossa (in which), johon (to which), or joista/joista (from which) appear as needed, depending on how the antecedent relates to the clause. This inflection allows Finnish to link the main clause with the dependent clause without additional prepositions in many contexts.

Usage notes emphasize that joka is one of the most common Finnish relative pronouns and a fundamental part of Finnish syntax. It can refer to people or things and is widely used in both spoken and written Finnish. While there are other relative pronouns in Finnish for specific nuances, joka provides a versatile and widely applicable option for forming relative clauses.