Numerals
Numerals 1-10 in colloquial spoken Finnish:
- yks (yksi)
- kaks (kaksi)
- kolme (kolme)
- neljä (neljä)
- viis (viisi)
- kuus (kuusi)
- seittemä(n) (seitsemän)
- kaheksa(n) (kahdeksan)
- yheksä(n) (yhdeksän)
- kymmene(n) (kymmenen)
Numbers 11-19 are formed by appending -toista, which can be shortened to -toist. Numbers 20-90 are formed by appending -kymmentä, which can be shortened to -kymment or even -kyt(ä). Kolme, neljä and seittemän can be abbreviated to kol-, nel- and seit- with -kytä, but not independently, as in kolkytäkolme "33" or seitkytäneljä "74".
If one is forced to count fast then even shorter forms are used:
- yy
- kaa
- koo
- nee
- vii
- kuu
- sei / see
- kasi
- ysi
- kymppi
-toista becomes -toi, -too or even -to. -kymmentä becomes -kyt, with 20-60 typically retaining their longer numeral forms (e.g. kakskyt rather than **kaakyt for 20). 70 is typically seitkyt or seiskyt, while 80 and 90 do with kasi- and ysi-.
The numerals 1–9 have their own names, different from the cardinal numbers used in counting. Numbers that have longer names are often shortened in speech. This may be problematic for a foreigner to understand, if she/he has learned words by book:
- ykkönen (number one)
- kakkonen (number two)
- kolmonen (number three)
- nelonen (number four)
- viitonen (number five) (→ vitonen, femma )
- kuutonen (number six) (→ kutonen)
- seitsemäinen (number seven) → seiska
- kahdeksainen / kahdeksikko (number eight) → kasi / kaheksikko
- yhdeksäinen / yhdeksikkö (number nine) → ysi / yheksikkö
- kymmenen → kymppi, kybä (Helsinki slang)
The -kko suffix normally denotes a group of x people, but on 8 and 9, it doubles as a synonym for the numeral's name. Kahdeksikko is also used to describe a figure eight shape.
The regular -Onen / -inen forms can additionally be used of objects with an ID number. For example, bus 107 is called sataseiska, and a competition winner is an ykkönen (not *sataseittemän or *yks.)
Read more about this topic: Colloquial Finnish