kynsiin

Kynsiin is the illative singular form of the Finnish noun kynsi, meaning a fingernail or claw. In Finnish grammar, the illative case expresses motion toward or into a location, so kynsiin literally conveys “to the nail” or “into the nail.” The form is produced by taking the stem kynsi and adding the illative suffix -in.

Usage and scope

Kynsiin is a grammatical form rather than a separate lexical item. It is used in contexts involving nails in a literal sense, typically referring to movement toward or into the nail region or describing situations connected to nails. It does not denote hardware nails (for those, Finnish uses naula). The form can appear in everyday language as part of sentences describing actions or states related to nails, such as nail care, injuries to the nail area, or anatomical references.

Morphology and related forms

Kynsiin is part of a broader pattern of illative forms in Finnish, which attach to noun stems to indicate direction toward something. The base noun kynsi belongs to the word class of body parts, with related forms such as kynsi (singular) and kynnet (plural fingernails) existing in other cases. The illative suffix -in is common in many Finnish nouns, producing forms like kotiin (into the house) alongside kynsiin.

See also

kynsi, fingernail; naula, hardware nail; Finnish grammar, illative case.