sulkea

Sulkea is a native Finnish verb meaning to close or shut. It covers the physical act of bringing a door, window, lid, or other opening into a closed state, as well as more abstract closures such as closing a business, a meeting, or a file. It is transitive, taking a direct object that denotes what is being closed, and it appears in many idiomatic expressions.

In addition to literal closings, sulkea is used in contexts like closing one’s eyes (sulkea silmät) or closing off a discussion. The verb forms in present and past tenses follow standard Finnish patterns; it has a passive form (suljetaan) and past participle suljettu, used in expressions like Ovi on suljettu (the door is closed).

Derived forms include the noun sulku (closure, blockade) and the process nouns sulkeminen (the act of closing) and sulkeutuminen (the process of closing in/closure). The present participle sulkeva describes something that closes, while suljettu serves as the passive participle meaning closed.

History and usage: Sulkea is a common everyday verb in Finnish and appears across formal and informal registers. It is considered a basic verb essential for describing actions that involve bringing something to a closed state, from entryways to programs and agreements.

See also: sulku, sulkeminen, sulkeutuminen.