pohjan

Pohjan is the genitive singular form of the Finnish noun pohja, which denotes a base, foundation, bottom, surface, or underlying layer. The word covers both physical meanings (the bottom of an object, the foundation of a structure) and more abstract notions such as a base or groundwork in non-physical contexts. Pohjan is used to express belonging or relation when pohja itself is part of a larger noun phrase.

In everyday Finnish, pohjan appears in phrases where another noun is described as belonging to or associated with the base. Examples include pohjan pinta (the surface of the base) or pohjan materiaali (the material of the base). When the head noun is the thing being described rather than the base, pohja remains in its basic form: järven pohja means “the bottom of the lake.” The genitive form pohjan typically occurs when pohja acts as the possessor or as a modifier within a larger construction, such as järven pohjan laajuus (the extent of the lake’s bottom).

Etymology and related forms: pohja originates from Finnish and is cognate with related Finnic terms such as Estonian põhi, both referring to a base or bottom. The inflected form pohjan is a regular part of Finnish genitive morphology and is not a separate lexical item.

Other uses: Beyond physical meaning, pohja also appears in technical, architectural, and geographical terminology to denote foundational layers, bases, or underlying principles. As a grammatical inflection, pohjan serves to link pohja to other nouns within compound expressions and is not typically used as a standalone proper noun.