ulospäin

Ulospäin is a Finnish directional adverb meaning toward the exterior or outward. It describes movement, orientation, or positioning aimed at the outside of something. In everyday language it is often used to express that a door, limb, part, or device faces or moves toward the outside, and it is commonly contrasted with sisäänpäin (inward).

In use, ulospäin can accompany verbs of movement or change of state, and it also appears in compound phrases to describe outward-facing or outward-directed features. For example, ovi avautuu ulospäin (the door opens outward), and laite on asennettu ulospäin (the device is mounted outward). The expression can also modify adjectives or nouns in more technical or descriptive contexts, such as ulospäin suuntautuva ilmavirta (outward-directed air flow) or ulospäin kääntyvä osa (outward-facing part).

Etymologically, ulospäin is formed from afinities of two elements: ulos meaning out or outward, and päin meaning toward or facing. Together they function as a directional particle indicating external orientation or direction.

In Finnish, ulospäin is part of a small family of directional expressions that also includes sisäänpäin (inward) and lähitoraiset suunnat (various outward directions). It is used across styles from everyday speech to technical writing, with tone and precision depending on context.

See also: sisäänpäin, ulkoneva, ulospäin suuntautuva.