pätkän

Pätkän is the genitive form of the Finnish noun pätkä, which denotes a short piece, fragment, or snippet. The word covers both physical fragments and media-related uses, most notably a short film or video clip. In contemporary Finnish, pätkä is widely used in media and everyday speech to refer to brief video content, including clips posted on social media or streaming platforms. A cinematic expression is pätkäelokuva, describing a standalone short film that may be produced for festivals, television, or online distribution.

In media and culture, pätkä often functions as a descriptor for concise works or segments within a larger program. A pätkä can be a parody, a sketch, or a brief excerpt from a longer feature. The term is also common in journalism and online communication when discussing short audiovisual items. In addition to film and video, pätkä can refer to a short textual excerpt or a small fragment of any medium, used in phrases that emphasize brevity.

Linguistically, pätkän is simply the genitive form used to indicate possession or association with the short piece. Examples include pätkän pituus (the length of the clip), pätkän otsikko (the title of the clip), or pätkän tekijä (the creator of the short piece). The word has been part of Finnish vernacular since the mid-20th century and remains common in both informal and formal contexts.

See also: pätkäelokuva, snippet, excerpt, short film.