kyljillä

Kyljillä is the plural adessive form of the Finnish noun kylki, which means a side or a rib. The form is used to indicate location on the sides of something or on the flanks. In Finnish grammar, the adessive case expresses location on a surface or part, so kyljillä translates roughly as “on the sides” or “on the flanks” when the reference is plural.

The word is common in both everyday and specialized language. In anatomical or zoological descriptions it can describe where something is situated, for example “kalat makaavat kyljillään” (the fish lie on their sides) or “kyljillä olevat arvet” (scars on the sides). It can also appear with possessive or plural subjects, as in “norojen kyljillä” or “hylkeen kyljillä” to denote something located on the sides of that animal or creature.

Kyljillä can be contrasted with kyljellä (on the side) in singular references, and with other location forms such as kylkialue (side area) or kylkiluut (ribs) in anatomical contexts. The term is versatile in descriptive writing, describing posture, injuries, or features positioned along the sides of a body, object, or landscape.

Etymologically, kylki derives from the Finnish word for side or rib, and kyljillä is formed through standard Finnish case and number inflection. The usage is straightforward for speakers: it communicates a spatial relation that is parallel to other locative forms in Finnish.