kummankin

Kummankin is a Finnish grammatical form used as a genitive determiner derived from the pronoun kummankin, meaning “of both” or “each of the two.” It accompanies a noun in its genitive case to attribute something to two referenced entities. The form is common in formal writing, legal language, and descriptive prose, and it serves to emphasize ownership or association by two parties or items.

In use, kummankin precedes a noun in genitive and marks possession or relation to two antecedents. Common constructions include phrases like kummankin vanhempien koti (the home of both parents) or kummankin osapuolen mielipide (the opinion of both parties). It can cooperate with plural-genitive nouns (vanhempien, osapuolten) to express shared ownership or involvement.

Etymologically, kummankin is the genitive form of kummankin, which itself comes from the root kummaki/kumpikin meaning “both,” modified to agree with the noun it modifies. The construction is a standard part of Finnish grammar and does not indicate a distinct lexical item beyond what kummankin already expresses.

Nuanced usage: kummankin stresses the involvement of two distinct referents, whereas synonyms like molemmat often refer to two items more neutrally, and kumpikin emphasizes each individual member of the pair. In everyday speech, speakers may prefer simpler expressions, but kummankin remains a concise, precise option in official or formal contexts.

See also: kumpikin, molemmat, kummankin puolesta.