banaani
/ˈbɑnɑːni/
The English word "banana" is banaani in Finnish.
banaani refers to the fruit known as a banana.
Meaning: fruit (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
The word banaani follows standard Finnish vowel harmony and ends in a vowel. When you need to change the form, use these variations: the plural nominative is banaanit, the genitive form is banaanin (used for possession or in compounds like "banana bread"), the partitive singular is banaania (used after verbs of liking or for indefinite amounts) and the plural partitive is banaaneja (used for indefinite quantities, such as "I bought some bananas").
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈbɑnɑːni/
Did you know?
- The word banaani traces its global journey from the West African Wolof word banaana through Romance languages before reaching Finland.
- In some Finnish contexts, calling something a banaani can be a slang way to describe something curved or oddly shaped.
- If you were to describe a person who is acting silly or 'bananas' in Finnish, you would not use the word banaani, as the English slang metaphor does not exist in the language.
Examples in context
- Tämä banaani on ruskea.This banana is brown.This sentence is useful for describing the color of a single banaani.Tatoeba #6704245 by Orava, translation #6696828 by Hybrid
- Banaani oli ruskea ja pehmeä.The banana was brown and mushy.Tatoeba #6141137 by Orava, translation #5360404 by Hybrid
- Aika lentää kuin nuoli, banaanikärpäset pitävät banaanista.Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana.This sentence uses a word derived from banaani in a play on words.Tatoeba #12411611 by ondo, translation #349900 by human600
- Onko sulla ylimääräisiä bananeita?Do you have any extra bananas?
- Huomasitko, miten halvat nämä banaanit olivat?Did you notice how cheap these bananas were?
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Antti and Anna are in the kitchen looking at the fruit bowl.
- AnttiOnko tässä vielä yksi banaani?Is there still one banana in here?
- AnnaJoo, se on aivan kypsä.Yes, it is completely ripe.
- AnttiSyönkö minä sen nyt?Should I eat it now?
- AnnaVoit syödä sen heti.You can eat it immediately.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “banana” translations and entries banaani, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries banaani, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
