jonka

Jonka is the genitive singular form of the Finnish relative pronoun joka, and it is used to introduce relative clauses that express possession or a characteristic shared by the antecedent. In English, the function is closest to whose. The base pronoun joka means which, that, or who, and it inflects to mark case and number within the relative clause. Jonka specifically marks the antecedent as belonging to what follows, by connecting the noun before the comma to the information in the relative clause.

In Finnish, the plural counterpart to jonkan form is joiden, used with a plural antecedent to mean “whose.” For example: talo, jonka katto on punainen meaning “the house whose roof is red,” and talot, joiden katto on punainen meaning “the houses whose roofs are red.” The choice between joka, jonka, and muiden relative forms depends on the number and case of the antecedent as well as the role the antecedent plays in the relative clause.

Examples:

- Talo, jonka katto on punainen, on vanha. (The house whose roof is red is old.)

- Henkilö, jonka nimi on Maria, saapui. (The person whose name is Maria arrived.)

- Talot, joiden katto on punainen, ovat vanhoja. (The houses whose roofs are red are old.)

Notes:

Jonka is standard in formal and written Finnish for singular antecedents. In casual speech, some speakers may substitute with other constructions, but jonka remains the conventional form for “whose” in singular relative clauses. Understanding joka and its genitive form jonkan helps clarify possession and attribution within Finnish relative clauses.