muistinsa

Muistinsa is a Finnish noun phrase formed from muisti, meaning memory, with the third-person possessive suffix -nsa (often realized as -nsä). The result is a form that means "his memory," "her memory," "its memory," or, depending on context, "their memory." In Finnish, the possessive suffix attaches to the noun rather than to a separate pronoun, and the exact possessor is indicated by context.

The form functions as a noun with a third-person possessive marker. Because Finnish possessive suffixes do not distinguish number in all contexts, muistinsa can refer to a memory belonging to a single third-person referent or to multiple people, with the intended possessor clarified by surrounding text. For example, both “hänellä” and the surrounding clause help determine whose memory is being referred to when muistinsa appears.

Common usage centers on recollection or recollection-based statements. A typical construction is muistinsa mukaan, meaning "according to his/her memory" or "to the best of his/her memory." This phrase is used when recalling events or reporting information based on someone’s memory rather than on written records or external sources. For instance, one might say, "Hänen muistinsa mukaan tapaus tapahtui vuonna 1990," meaning "According to his memory, the incident occurred in 1990." The expression can underscore the fallible nature of memory, especially in discussions of reliability or testimony.

Etymologically, muistinsa derives from muisti plus the third-person possessive suffix -nsa/-nsä. Related terms include muistisanat about memory, and the broader Finnish possessive suffix system, which forms similar noun phrases such as hänen muistinsa (his memory) or heidän muistinsa (their memory).