tähyää

Tähyää is a Finnish verb used to describe looking at something with a fixed, attentive, or curious gaze. It is mainly heard in informal speech and in some regional dialects, and it is not a standard everyday verb in all contexts. In standard Finnish, the closest common term for the act of looking closely or peering is tähystää.

Etymology and related forms: The word appears to be related to tähystää (peering, peeking, scanning) and is often treated as a dialectal or colloquial variant of that root. Because of its regional usage, tähyää can carry a lighter or less formal nuance thanTuijottaa (to stare) or tähystää.

Meaning and usage: Tähyää conveys looking with interest, curiosity, or mild scrutiny rather than simply glancing. It can describe scanning the surroundings, observing someone or something with intent, or peering from a position of interest or skepticism. The form is typically used with a direct object to indicate what is being looked at, and it commonly appears with spatial or evaluative nuances, such as looking around or toward a person or scene.

Examples: Hän tähyää ikkunasta ulos. (He peers out the window.) Hän tähyää ympärilleen epäillen. (He looks around skeptically.) The word is generally understood in Finnish, but speakers from different regions may prefer tähystää or other verbs in similar contexts.

See also: tähystää, tuijottaa, katsella.