käsistä

Käsistä is the elative plural form of the Finnish noun käsi, meaning “from the hands” or “out of the hands.” In Finnish grammar the elative case expresses origin or source, and the plural form käsistä specifically refers to more than one hand. The singular elative is kädestä (“from the hand”), while the genitive plural is käsien (“of the hands”). The illative plural is käsille (“to the hands”).

In use, käsistä can refer to physical origin or source of something that is produced or handled by hand, such as objects made by hand, manual labor, or actions performed with the hands. It also appears in anatomical or everyday speech when discussing the hands as body parts, especially in relation to activity, dexterity, or condition. The phrase may be contrasted with other cases such as kädestä or käsille, depending on the intended meaning.

Origins and related forms: The word käsi is native Finnic, and käsistä is formed by adding the elative plural ending to that root. For learners of Finnish, recognizing the elative case and how it marks source is essential for expressing “from the hands.” Related terms include käsi (hand), käsityö (handicraft), and käsillä (with the hands, by means of hands).