kirjoissa

Kirjoissa is a Finnish word form meaning “in the books.” It is the inessive plural form of kirja (book), used to indicate location inside multiple books. In Finnish, the inessive case marks where something is located, and the plural ending -issa makes the form apply to more than one book. The singular inessive is kirjassa, while the plural genitive is kirjojen.

Usage and meaning

Kirjoissa is used to describe information, content, or events that reside within a collection of books. It is common in scholarly writing, literary analysis, and discussions about sources, but it can also appear in everyday language when referring to what can be found across several books. The term can be taken literally, as in physical contents within libraries or volumes, or metaphorically, referring to knowledge or narratives contained in literature.

Examples

Tietoja on kirjoissa. (The information is in the books.)

Kuvaukset ja viitteet ovat kirjoissa. (The descriptions and references are in the books.)

Kertomus piilee kirjoissa, ei suoraan muistin kautta. (The story lies in the books, not directly through memory.)

Related forms

Kirjoissa is part of a family of forms derived from kirja. Related common forms include kirjassa (in the book), kirjojen (of the books), and kirjoja (books, partitive). This reflects Finnish case and number harmony, where the endings adjust to singular or plural and the grammatical case.

See also

Finnish grammar, inessive case, plural forms, and noun inflection.