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:
“Ideas about life organize perception; names of emotions organize sensations; rules of syntax organize thought. But pain comes on its own.”
—Mason Cooley (b. 1927)
“Ideas about life organize perception; names of emotions organize sensations; rules of syntax organize thought. But pain comes on its own.”
—Mason Cooley (b. 1927)
“Publishers are notoriously slothful about numbers, unless they’re attached to dollar signs—unlike journalists, quarterbacks, and felony criminal defendents who tend to be keenly aware of numbers at all times.”
—Hunter S. Thompson (b. 1939)