Ways to say it
| Estonian | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Eesti | /ˈeˑsti/ | |
| Eestimaa | /ˈeˑstiˌmɑː/ | colloquial, historical |
The word is used to refer to the country in northeastern Europe. When referring to a person from Estonia, the word Eestlane is used.
What does it mean word for word?
In the form Eestimaa, the suffix -maa literally means land or country.
Which one should you use?
Eesti is the standard, neutral name for the country used in most modern contexts. In contrast, Eestimaa is a more descriptive form, meaning Estonia-land, which is used in poetic, historical or more casual contexts.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
Eesti is the standard form. For official purposes, the full name is Eesti Vabariik, which translates to "Republic of Estonia." The form Eestimaa is considered colloquial, historical or poetic.
How does it change in a sentence?
The word changes its form depending on the relationship to the country: use Eestisse to express movement towards Estonia (the illative case) and Eestis to express being located within Estonia (the inessive case).
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈeˑsti/
Did you know?
- Until the 19th century, ethnic Estonians rarely used Eesti for themselves and instead used maarahvas meaning 'country people'.
Examples in context
- Tallinn on Eesti pealinn.Tallinn is the capital of Estonia.This sentence is useful for identifying the capital of Eesti.Tatoeba #11276123 by twentyplus, translation #1201678 by CN
- Me reisime järgmisel kuul Eestisse.We're going to travel to Estonia next month.This sentence shows the use of the illative form Eestisse to indicate movement towards Eesti.Tatoeba #2755381 by hubin, translation #1224131 by Ketutar
- Tallinn asub Eestis.Tallinn is located in Estonia.This sentence shows the use of the inessive form Eestis to indicate location within Eesti.Tatoeba #11280729 by twentyplus, translation #9550199 by Dmitrij15
- Kas oled käinud Eestis?Have you been to Estonia?
- Tere tulemast Eestisse!Welcome to Estonia!
- Eesti on ilus maa!Estonia is a beautiful country!
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Mari and Kristjan are talking about their favorite travel destinations.
- MariKas sa oled kunagi käinud Eesti külastamas?Have you ever visited Estonia?
- KristjanJah, Eesti on väga ilus riik.Yes, Estonia is a very beautiful country.
- MariMulle meldib Eesti loodus.I like Estonia's nature.
- KristjanMina nõustun, Eesti on tõesti imeline.I agree, Estonia is truly wonderful.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “estonia” translations and entries Eesti, Eestimaa, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries Eesti, Eestimaa, eesti, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
