sijaintimuoto

Sijaintimuoto is a term used in Finnish grammar to refer to a set of grammatical forms that express location or spatial relation of a referent. It is often described as the locative or location forms of nouns and related words. In practice, sijaintimuodot answer questions such as missä? (where?), minne? (to where?), mistä? (from where) and describe where something is, where movement is directed, or where something originates.

The core sijaintimuodot in Finnish are the locative cases: inessive, elative, illative, adessive, ablative and allative. Some descriptions also include the essive as part of this group, since it often conveys a state or role rather than a pure place. Each form uses a characteristic suffix that follows vowel harmony and, in some nouns, involves stem changes. For a common noun like talo (house):

- inessive: talossa (in the house)

- elative: talosta (from the house)

- illative: taloon (into the house)

- adessive: talolla (on/at the house)

- ablative: talolta (from the house)

- allative: talolle (onto/to the house)

- essive: talona (as a house)

Usage and scope: Sijaintimuodot attach to nouns to indicate location, direction, or origin and can interact with adjectives and pronouns. They are a fundamental part of Finnish morphology and syntax, essential for expressing spatial relationships, movement, and related meanings. In language education and descriptive grammars, sijaintimuoto distinctions are treated as a core feature of the Finnish case system.