muotoa

Muotoa is the partitive singular form of the Finnish noun muoto, which means form, shape, or a grammatical form. In Finnish, muoto can refer to the outward shape of a physical object as well as to linguistic form, such as a word’s inflection or syntactic category. The form muotoa is used when the reference is indeterminate or when the predicate requires the partitive case, for example after negation or in expressions of quantity.

In noun declension, muoto’s cases include nominative muoto, genitive muoton, partitive muotoa, and plural muotoja, with muotoa specifically signaling partitive singular. The choice between muotoa and other partitive forms depends on number and definiteness of the referent and on the syntactic context.

Typical usage includes phrases such as “Etsin muotoa, joka sopii tähän tarkoitukseen” (“I am looking for a form that fits this purpose”), where muotoa marks a non-specific form. The term also appears in lists or descriptions about characteristics, as in “muotoa ja kokoa” (“shape and size”), where the nouns are coordinated in a context that often relies on partitive or non-finite references.

Muotoa thus belongs to the Finnish noun system and illustrates how meaning and reference are shaped by case endings rather than separate words. See also muoto, partitiivi, and Finnish grammar.