veli
/ˈʋeli/
The Finnish word for brother is veli.
The word veli is a noun used to refer to a male sibling.
Meaning: male sibling (noun)
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The word veli changes according to its role in a sentence. The genitive form veljen is used to indicate possession, meaning 'brother's' or 'of the brother'. The plural form is veljet for 'brothers'. To indicate movement toward or giving something to the brothers, use the allative plural form veljille. The partitive form veljeä is used when the brother is the object of an incomplete action or follows certain numbers and prepositions. Relatedly, the verb veljeillä means to treat someone as a brother.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈʋeli/
Did you know?
- The Finnish word veli is likely a very ancient loanword from a Proto-Germanic source. This means that the word for 'brother' in Finnish shares a common ancestor with early North Germanic languages.
- While veli means 'brother', Finnish has a separate word for 'sibling' called sisarus that is gender-neutral. English speakers often try to use veli or sisko to describe siblings in general, but sisarus is the precise term.
- While veli refers to a male sibling, it is also used in Finnish to refer to a 'brother' in a religious or fraternal context, such as a monk or a member of a brotherhood.
Examples in context
- Mä oon sun veli.I'm your brother.This sentence is useful for practicing the first-person statement using veli.Tatoeba #6712797 by Orava, translation #1977902 by Balamax
- Tuo on Tomin veli.That's Tom's brother.This sentence shows how to use veli to describe a relationship in the third person.Tatoeba #2799433 by Kalle63, translation #2235905 by CK
- Minulla on yksi veli.I have one brother.This sentence demonstrates how to express possession of a sibling using veli.Tatoeba #3263333 by Silja, translation #256071 by CK
- Moi, veljeni! Mitä kuuluu?Hi, brother! How are you?
- 33 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Juho and Anna are talking about family photos.
- JuhoKuka tämä mies on kuvassa?Who is this man in the photo?
- AnnaHän on minun veli.He is my brother.
- JuhoOnko hän vanhempi kuin sinä?Is he older than you?
- AnnaKyllä, hän on isoveli.Yes, he is a big brother.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “brother” translations and entries veli, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries veli, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
