silmän

Silmän is the genitive singular form of the Finnish noun silmä, meaning eye. In Finnish, the genitive case is used to express possession or association, often translating to "of the eye" in English. The corresponding genitive plural is silmien, used for phrases referring to more than one eye. The nominative forms are silmä for the singular and silmät for the plural.

In practice, silmän appears in phrases such as silmän väri (the eye’s color) or silmän kyvyllisten piirteiden kuvaus, where it marks a relationship to the eye. It also appears in many fixed compounds and idioms, most notably silmänräpäys, which means “blink of an eye.” Although silmän is a grammatical form rather than a standalone word, it is essential for constructing attributive expressions about eyes in Finnish.

Notes on usage: silmän is used whenever something is described as belonging to or associated with a single eye, while silmien serves the same function for two or more eyes. The form changes to fit Finnish syntax and agreement, and it is commonly found in written and spoken Finnish across various registers.