ylös

Ylös is a Finnish directional adverb meaning upward or upstairs. It denotes movement toward a higher position or location relative to the speaker or a reference point and is used with verbs of motion as well as to describe a position or direction.

Usage is common in everyday speech. Examples include Hän nousi ylös, meaning “he rose up,” and Portaat johtavat ylös, meaning “the stairs lead up.” In signs and everyday phrases, ylös often appears in combination with a noun to indicate an upward path, such as portaat ylös (“stairs up”) or ovi ylös (“the door upstairs”).

Etymology and related terms: Ylös is part of a system of Finnish directional adverbs that express vertical direction. It is formed from the root yli- meaning “over/above” with a directional development that yields the suffix -s. It is closely related to alas, which means “down,” and together they form a simple pair used to describe vertical movement or positioning.

Pronunciation and orthography: Ylös is written with a capital Y when starting a sentence, and with the umlaut over the o (ö). In IPA, it is commonly rendered as [ˈy.løs].

In grammar, ylös functions as an adverbial particle indicating direction or place. It can be complemented by other elements to specify the movement or location, and it contrasts with other directional forms such as alas for downward movement.