puuttuu

Puuttuu is a Finnish verb meaning to be missing, to be absent, or to lack. It is commonly used to describe the absence of information, items, resources, or other required elements in a situation, list, or data set. In everyday language, it signals that something expected or needed is not present.

In practice, puuttuu is often used with the subject in singular form as the predicate, for example: Tietoa puuttuu (There is information missing) or Rahoitus puuttuu (Funding is missing). When referring to multiple items, the plural form is used: Tiedot puuttuvat (The data are missing). The word can also appear with different cases, such as Tietoa puuttuu in the partitive case when speaking about an unspecified amount of missing information. The verb has other tense forms as well, for example puuttui (was missing) and puuttuvat (are missing), depending on number and tense.

Etymologically, puuttua comes from a Finnic root connected to deficiency or lack, related to the noun puute meaning deficiency or shortcoming. The concept shares semantic field with words like puute and puutteellinen, which describe something that is lacking or incomplete.

Puuttuu is widely used across domains, including everyday conversation, administrative contexts, and data reporting. It highlights absence rather than act, and it can describe everything from physical items to abstract elements like information, funding, or time. Related terms include puuttuva (absent, missing), puuttuminen (the act or state of being missing), and puute (deficiency).