täti
/ˈtæti/
The Finnish word for aunt is täti.
The term täti refers to a parent's sister or a relative by marriage, such as a parent's brother's wife or a parent's husband's sister.
Meaning: a parent's sister or sister-in-law (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
You can modify täti with various suffixes to change its meaning and grammatical role. Adding the suffix -ni creates tätini, meaning 'my aunt'. Adding -si creates tätisi, meaning 'your aunt'. Finally, adding -n creates tätin, which is the genitive form meaning 'aunt's'.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈtæti/
Did you know?
- The word täti likely originated from baby talk, much like the English word 'mama' or 'papa', rather than a formal linguistic root.
- In many Finnish families, calling an older woman täti can be a sign of respect, even if there is no biological relation.
- While täti is used for aunts, Finnish culture often uses specific kinship terms like eno or enon vaimo to clarify exactly how the person is related to the family tree.
Examples in context
- Missä sinun tätisi on?Where's your aunt?This sentence shows how to use the form tätisi for 'your aunt'.Tatoeba #7759161 by Orava, translation #7453787 by CK
- Äitini veljen vaimo on tätini.My mother's brother's wife is my aunt.This sentence demonstrates the use of tätini for 'my aunt'.Tatoeba #2674100 by Silja, translation #1809406 by pne
- Tätini käy Saksassa joka vuosi.My aunt goes to Germany every year.This sentence uses the form tätini for 'my aunt'.Tatoeba #3116060 by Kalle63, translation #1761283 by Amastan
- 13 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Anna and Antti are looking at old family photos.
- AnnaKuka tämä nainen on?Who is this woman?
- AnttiHän on minun täti.She is my aunt.
- AnnaOnko hän kotoisin Suomesta?Is she from Finland?
- AnttiKyllä, täti asuu Helsingissä.Yes, my aunt lives in Helsinki.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “aunt” translations and entries täti, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries täti, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
