märkä

Märkä is a Finnish adjective meaning wet or damp. It describes moisture on surfaces, in materials, or in the air when water content is present. In everyday language it is used for a wide range of contexts, such as märkä maa (wet ground) or märkä keli (wet conditions). The word is often contrasted with kuivaa (dry) and with kostea (humid), which more specifically refers to humidity in the air rather than surface moisture.

In technical and formal contexts, märkä is used to describe moisture levels and their effects. For example, in meteorology, construction, or agriculture, märkä conditions can affect work, soil structure, and durability. The common compound märkäpuku refers to a wetsuit used in water sports, literally a “wet suit.” The term can appear in phrases like märkä ilma (wet air) or märkä lämpö (wet heat), though some phrases are context-specific.

Etymology: märkä is a native Finnish word that has been used in Finnic languages for centuries. It does not have widely recognized cognates outside Finnish.

Nuances: Märkä generally implies moisture on surfaces or short-term dampness, whereas kostea tends to refer to higher humidity in the air. In everyday speech, märkä is versatile and frequently combines with nouns to describe dampness in many settings.