miinusmerkkeihin

Miinusmerkkeihin is a Finnish term referring to the minus sign, the symbol used in mathematics to indicate subtraction and negation. In Finnish, the singular is miinusmerkki and the plural is miinusmerkit; the illative plural form miinusmerkkeihin means “to the minus signs.” The symbol is used both as a binary operator (subtraction) and as a unary operator (negation).

In arithmetic, the minus sign serves two main functions. The binary minus denotes subtraction, as in 8 − 3 = 5. The unary minus marks negation, as in −7, indicating a negative number. The same symbol is employed in computing and algebra to express these operations, and it participates in standard rules of precedence alongside other operators and parentheses.

Typographically, the minus sign is distinct from a hyphen or an en dash. The mathematically correct minus sign is typically the Unicode character U+2212 (−), which aligns with the spacing in formulas. In everyday digital text, the ASCII hyphen (-) is often used, but proper mathematical notation prefers the dedicated minus sign for clarity and alignment in equations.

Historically, the minus sign became standard in European mathematical notation during the early modern period, alongside the plus sign. In Finnish education and publishing, miinusmerkki is taught as part of basic arithmetic and algebra, and the inflected form miinusmerkkeihin appears in Finnic grammar when referring to “to the minus signs.”

See also: plus sign, subtraction, negative numbers, Unicode minus sign, mathematical notation.