Names of Numbers
This is a feature of Finnish which doesn't have an exact counterpart in English (but in colloquial German it does, for example: 7er, 190er, 205er). These forms are used to refer to the actual number itself, rather than the quantity or order which the number represents. This should be clearer from the examples below, but first here is the list:
| Names of numbers | |
|---|---|
| Finnish | English |
| nolla | nil, number zero |
| ykkönen | the number one the figure "1" |
| kakkonen | 2 |
| kolmonen | 3 |
| nelonen | 4 |
| viitonen | 5 |
| kuutonen | 6 |
| seitsemän seitsemäinen seitsikko seiska (colloquial) |
7 |
| kahdeksan kahdeksikko kasi (colloquial) |
8 |
| yhdeksän yhdeksikkö ysi (colloquial) |
9 |
| kymmenen kymppi (colloquial) |
number ten |
Also, 'kahdeksikko' refers to the shape of the number. Some examples of how these are used:
- The 'number three tram' is the 'kolmonen' — when you are riding it, you are 'kolmosella'
- A magazine has the title '7' and is called 'Seiska'
- My car, a '93 model, is an 'ysikolmonen' when buying spare parts
- If the car is a 190E Mercedes, it would be a 'sataysikymppi'.
- If a car has tyres in size of 205, they would be called 'kaks(i)sataaviitoset' resp. kaks(i)sataaviitosia' (often 'kaks(i)nollaviitoset' resp. kaks(i)nollaviitosia').
- The '106' bus is the 'sata kuutonen'
- A €5 bill may be called "vitonen", a €10 bill "kymppi" (in plural: "kympit"/"kymppejä"), a €20 "kaksikymppinen", a €100 bill "satanen", etc.
Read more about this topic: Finnish Numerals
Famous quotes containing the words names of, names and/or numbers:
“I do not see why, since America and her autumn woods have been discovered, our leaves should not compete with the precious stones in giving names to colors; and, indeed, I believe that in course of time the names of some of our trees and shrubs, as well as flowers, will get into our popular chromatic nomenclature.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“Row after row with strict impunity
The headstones yield their names to the element,
The wind whirrs without recollection....”
—Allen Tate (1899–1979)
“Green grow the rushes-O
What is your one-O?”
—Unknown. Carol of the Numbers (l. 2–3)