Finnish for busy people

Words ending in -ja/-ija – Opiskelija Opettaja

A lot of verbs, in Finnish as well as in English, have a derivate for the person doing the verb’s action. In English the ending for this is often -er (for example: to play → player). In Finnish, these are often words ending in -ja or -ija (or -jä and -ijä, according to the vowel harmoney rules).

The lists on this page are extremely limited, because there are hundreds of words ending in -ja/-ija. This page is meant to give you an idea of how these words are formed, as well as how they are inflected in all the different cases.

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  1. Words ending in -ja
  2. Words ending in -ija
  3. Inflection of words ending in -ja and -ija
  4. Compound words ending in -ja or -ija

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1. Words ending in -ja

Words ending in -ja/jä are derived from verbs by taking the strong stem of the verb (e.g. lentä- → lentäjä; korjaa- → korjaaja).

Verb English Person English
ajaa to drive ajaja driver
ampua to shoot ampuja shooter
asentaa to fit / to install asentaja mechanic
esiintyä to perform esiintyjä performer
hiihtää to ski hiihtäjä skier
hitsata to weld hitsaaja welder
hoitaa to take care hoitaja caretaker
holhota to guard holhooja guardian
ilmoittaa to advertise ilmoittaja advertiser
johtaa to lead johtaja leader
järjestää to organize järjestäjä organizer
kalastaa to fish kalastaja fisherman
katsoa to watch katsoja viewer
kerjätä to beg kerjääjä beggar
kertoa to tell kertoja narrator
kiristää to blackmail kiristäjä blackmailer
korjata to repair korjaaja repairman
kuljettaa to transport kuljettaja driver
kuristaa to strangle kuristaja strangler
käyttää to use käyttäjä user
kääntää to translate kääntäjä translator
lahjoittaa to donate lahjoittaja donor
lentää to fly lentäjä pilot
luoda to create luoja creator
matkustaa to travel matkustaja traveller
myydä to sell myyjä seller
ostaa to buy ostaja buyer
palvoa to worship palvoja worshipper
parantaa to make better parantaja healer
perustaa to found perustaja founder
pettää to betray pettäjä betrayer
piirtää to draw piirtäjä drawer
puoltaa to support puoltaja supporter
rakastaa to love rakastaja lover
saada to receive saaja receiver
selostaa to commentate selostaja commentator
siivota to clean siivooja cleaner
säästää to save säästäjä saver
opettaa to teach opettaja teacher
tarkastaa to inspect tarkastaja inspector
teloittaa to execute teloittaja executioner
toimittaa to report toimittaja reporter
uudistaa to innovate uudistaja innovator
valmentaa to coach, train valmentaja coach / trainer
väärentää to forge väärentäjä forger
äänittää to record äänittäjä recorder

2. Words ending in -ija

When a word is derived from a verb which has a stem ending in -i or -e, you will get an -i- in front of the -ja/jä when deriving a noun from it (e.g. kokeile- → kokeilija; hallitse- → hallitsija).

Verb English Person English
kulkea to move jalankulkija pedestrian
kylpeä to bathe kylpijä bather
lukea to read lukija reader
pyrkiä to strive (for) pyrkijä applicant
hulinoida to be unruly hulinoitsija hooligan
huomioida to observe huomioitsija observer
kapinoida to rebel kapinoitsija rebel
käydä to visit kävijä visitor
luennoida to lecture luennoija lecturer
tupakoida to smoke tupakoija smoker
ihailla to admire ihailija admirer
harhailla to wander harhailija wanderer
julkaista to publish julkaisija publisher
katsella to look katselija spectator
keräillä to collect keräilijä collector
kokeilla to try kokeilija experimenter
kuulla to hear kuulija hearer
kuunnella to listen kuuntelija listener
lasketella to go down hills laskettelija downhill skier
luistella to skate luistelija skater
matkailla to travel matkailija traveller
opiskella to study opiskelija student
pestä to wash pesijä laundress
pyöräillä to cycle pyöräilijä cyclist
runoilla to write poetry runoilija poet
suositella to recommend suosittelija referee
tarjoilla to serve tarjoilija waiter
telttailla to camp telttailija camper
urheilla to sport urheilija athlete
vietellä to seduce viettelijä seducer
viljellä to cultivate maanviljelijä farmer
vitkastella to dawdle vitkastelija dawdler
voimistella to to gymnastics voimistelija gymnast
hallita to govern hallitsija ruler
valita to choose valitsija selector

3. Inflection of words ending in -ja and -ija

Words ending in -ja and -ija can both be inflected in all the Finnish cases. However, their plural inflection will be different.

In the plural, words ending in -ja will have the final -a replaced with the plural -i- (e.g. myyjä → myyjiä). Words ending in -ija will have the final -a replaced with -oi- (e.g. lukija → lukijoita).

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Words ending in -ja
Case Singular Plural
Nominative opettaja opettajat
Partitive opettaja opettajia
Genitive opettajan opettajien
Inessive opettajassa opettajissa
Elative opettajasta opettajista
Illative opettajaan opettajiin
Adessive opettajalla opettajilla
Ablative opettajalta opettajilta
Allative opettajalle opettajille
Translative opettajaksi opettajiksi
Essive opettajana opettajina

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Words ending in -ija
Case Singular Plural
Nominative opiskelija opiskelijat
Partitive opiskelijaa opiskelijoita
Genitive opiskelijan opiskelijoiden
Inessive opiskelijassa opiskelijoissa
Elative opiskelijasta opiskelijoista
Illative opiskelijaan opiskelijoihin
Adessive opiskelijalla opiskelijoilla
Ablative opiskelijalta opiskelijoilta
Allative opiskelijalle opiskelijoille
Translative opiskelijaksi opiskelijoiksi
Essive opiskelijana opiskelijoina

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4. Compound words ending in –ja or -ija

We can derive words ending in -ja/-ija from any verb in theory. However, the usefulness of these words on their own often isn’t very high. What, for example, would you do with the word “be-er” (from the verb “to be”) or “comer” (from the verb “to come”).

While these derivations on their own are near-useless, just looking at the word “comer” could bring to mind other nouns, such as “newcomer” and “homecomer”. We can make compound nouns like these in Finnish as well.

Verb English Person English
olla mukana to be involved mukanaolija insider
olla läsnä to be present läsnäolija attendant
tulla vastaan to come towards vastaantulija oncomer
tulla sisään to come instead vastaantulija person entering
tehdä pahaa to do evil pahantekijä evildoer
tehdä syntiä to do a sin synnyntekijä sinner
tehdä työtä to do work työntekijä employee
antaa työtä to give work työnantaja employer
antaa vuokraa to give rent vuokranantaja lessor
tanssia nuoralla to dance on rope nuorallatanssija tightrope walker
kävellä unissa to walk in sleep unissakävelijä sleepwalker
pidellä pahoin to treat bad pahoinpitelijä perpetrator
nähdä silmin to see with eyes silminnäkijä eyewitness
etsiä kultaa to search for gold kullanetsijä prospector
etsiä aarretta to search for treasure aarteenetsijä treasure hunter

While this is the end of this article, there are hundreds more words ending in -ja/jä. There are also many more nouns that refer to a person, such as the ones in this article on nouns describing personality or behavior.

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