missä

Missä is a Finnish interrogative word meaning "where." It functions as the locative (inessive) form of the question word and is used to ask about the location of a person, object, or event. In Finnish, questions about location are marked by case rather than prepositions, and missää is the standard form for in-place questions.

Usage is straightforward: Missä asut? Where do you live? Missä on kirjani? Where is my book? In indirect questions, missää is used in the same way: En tiedä, missä hän asuu. The form can appear in both everyday speech and formal writing, and it typically accompanies verbs of existence or position.

Related forms address other spatial relations. For example, mista means "from where" (origin), while minne or mihin are used for direction or destination (to where). The choice among these forms depends on the spatial relation being asked about.

Etymology and notes: Missä comes from the base interrogative word mikä with the locative suffix -sä/-ssä, following Finnish patterns for location questions. It is a neutral, versatile term suitable for a wide range of contexts, from casual inquiries to written prose.

See also: mistä; minne; mihin.