joku

Joku is a common Finnish indefinite pronoun and determiner meaning "someone" or "some." It is used when the identity of a person (or the exact reference) is unknown or not important, and it appears in both spoken and written Finnish.

As a stand-alone pronoun, joku introduces an unspecified subject or object in a sentence, for example: Joku koputti ovelle. (Someone knocked on the door.) As an attributive determiner, it modifies a noun to express indefiniteness or a non-specific kind, as in joku mies or joku kirja. In everyday use, joku conveys a casual, non-definitive sense that is common in conversation, anecdotes, and informal writing.

Grammatical notes: Finnish pronouns and adjectives are inflected for number and case, and niin joku follows this pattern. Thus its form can change with different grammatical contexts while retaining its core meaning of indefiniteness. The word is versatile and can appear in a range of constructions, from simple statements to embedded clauses.

Nuance and relations: Joku is less definite than eräs, which implies “a certain” with a sharper sense of specificity, though still nonspecific. It is a frequent, neutral word in everyday Finnish and is often preferred when the speaker does not want to name a person or thing. It can be contrasted with kukaan (no one) in negations and with jokainen (everyone) in inclusive expressions.

See also: eräs, jokainen, kukaan.