kielensä

Kielensä is a Finnish noun phrase meaning “one’s tongue” or, in some contexts, “one’s language.” It is formed from the noun kieli (tongue, language) plus the third-person possessive suffix -nsä, which marks ownership by a third person singular. The form is used when referring to the tongue or language of another person.

In usage, kielensä can appear in literal, anatomical sense as well as in metaphorical or figurative contexts where language or manner of speaking is being discussed. For example, Hän puri kielensä translates to “He/She bit his/her tongue,” a common expression. When speaking about someone’s language in a broader sense, the same possessive pattern can be used with the noun kieli, depending on context.

Finnish possesses multiple forms to indicate different possessor persons and numbers. Examples include kieleni (my tongue), kielesi (your tongue, singular), kielemme (our tongue), and kielenne (your tongue, plural). The suffixes attach directly to the noun, and the exact form aligns with the possessor’s person and number as well as vowel harmony rules of the stem.

Kielensä illustrates how Finnish marks possession on a light-weight, everyday noun and how the same form can serve both literal and figurative meanings depending on context. The term sits within broader Finnish grammar, particularly the system of possessive suffixes and noun phrases.

See also: Finnish grammar, possessive suffixes, kieli.