sanakirjaan

Sanakirjaan is the illative singular form of sanakirja, the Finnish word for dictionary. It denotes movement toward or into a dictionary, for example when something is placed into the dictionary or when a word is added to a lexicon. In Finnish grammar the illative case answers questions about direction toward something and is formed by adding the illative suffix -an to the noun stem, with adjustments for harmony and pronunciation. For sanakirja, this yields sanakirjaan.

Usage of sanakirjaan commonly appears in discussions of lexicography, language change, or editorial work. It is used when speaking about new words being included in a dictionary or about entries being added to a particular dictionary. By contrast, sanakirjassa means “in the dictionary” (inessive), describing location rather than movement.

Etymology: sanakirja is a compound of sana (word) and kirja (book). The illative form sanakirjaan is created by attaching the illative suffix -an to the stem sanakirja, in line with Finnish inflection rules.

Related forms include sanakirja (dictionary) and sanakirjista, sanakirjoihin, and other cases used to discuss placement, inclusion, or location of words within dictionaries and lexicographic works. The phrase remains primarily a grammatical and lexical item rather than a standalone concept. See also illative case, Finnish grammar, and lexicography.