rauta

Rauta is the Finnish noun for iron, the metallic element with the chemical symbol Fe and atomic number 26. In scientific, industrial, and everyday language, rauta refers to iron as a material as well as to objects made from iron or iron-containing alloys. Iron is a central ferrous metal used in construction, machinery, transportation, and manufacturing; most steel is produced by alloying iron with carbon and other elements.

In Finnish, rauta also functions as a productive base for compound words that denote iron-related goods or activities. A common example is rautakauppa, meaning hardware store, which highlights the association of rauta with metal hardware. The term can appear in other compounds where it signals iron-based materials, such as tools or cabinets, depending on usage and context.

The word is primarily used in Finnish; other languages have different terms for iron. When referring to the element in a global or scientific context, the symbol Fe is used, and its properties are described in chemistry and materials science. In everyday life, rauta remains a general term encompassing iron as a material, its uses, and the wide range of iron-containing products found in industry and households.