isoisä
/ˈisoˌisæ/
The Finnish word for grandfather is isoisä.
The term isoisä is used to refer to a grandfather from either side of the family.
Meaning: grandfather (from either side) (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
To express possession, such as 'my grandfather', you add the possessive suffix -ni to the end of the word to get isoisäni. To indicate the genitive case (to show that something belongs to the grandfather), use the form isoisän.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈisoˌisæ/
Did you know?
- The word isä meaning 'father' is a cognate of the English word 'father' and the Latin 'pater', sharing a common ancient Indo-European root.
- The word isoisä is a literal construction of 'big father', combining iso (big/grand) and isä (father).
- In many Finnish families, children use the more casual term isopappa or isoisä interchangeably in speech, though the latter is the standard dictionary form.
Examples in context
- Tom on Marin isoisä.Tom is Mary's grandfather.This sentence shows how to identify someone's grandfather using isoisä.Tatoeba #3741617 by Silja, translation #1028541 by CK
- Tämä on minun isoisäni.This is my grandfather.This sentence demonstrates how to say 'my grandfather' using the form isoisä.Tatoeba #8574223 by Silja, translation #1898106 by CK
- Isoisä osti sen minulle.My grandfather bought it for me.This sentence shows the subject form of isoisä in a simple sentence.Tatoeba #10056251 by Johannes_S, translation #10055165 by Cabo
- Isoisäni on elämäni esikuva.My grandfather is my role model.
- Hyvää päivää, vaari!Good day, Grandpa!
- Lähden tänään kalastamaan ukkini kanssa.I'm going fishing with my grandpa today.
- Pappa kertoi minulle tarinoita sodasta.Grandpa told me stories about the war.
- 27 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Sofia and Antti are looking at an old family photograph.
- SofiaKuka tämä mies on kuvassa?Who is this man in the picture?
- AnttiHän on minun isoisäni.He is my grandfather.
- SofiaOliko isoisä kotoisin Helsingistä?Was your grandfather from Helsinki?
- AnttiKyllä, hän asui siellä pitkään.Yes, he lived there for a long time.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “grandfather” translations and entries isoisä, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries isoisä, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
