sairaala
/ˈsɑi̯rɑːlɑ/
The English phrase hospital is sairaala in Finnish.
sairaala refers to a large medical facility.
Meaning: large medical facility (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
When you want to change the meaning of the word to indicate location or movement, you use different case forms: sairaalassa is used to indicate being inside the hospital building, sairaalaan is used to indicate movement toward or into the hospital and sairaalasta is used to indicate movement away from the hospital.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈsɑi̯rɑːlɑ/
Did you know?
- The word sairaala was actually a modern invention by a 19th-century physician named Wolmar Schildt. Before this, Finnish speakers used older, more descriptive terms for places where the sick were cared for.
- In Finnish, the word sairas can be used both as an adjective for 'sick' and as a slang term to describe something 'insane' or 'extreme'.
- The suffix -la in sairaala is the same one used in many Finnish surnames, which historically indicated the farm or estate where a family lived.
Examples in context
- Se ei ole sairaala.This is not a hospital.Tatoeba #1184709 by Silja, translation #2307594 by Gulo_Luscus
- Se on suuri sairaala.It's a big hospital.Tatoeba #5216112 by Orava, translation #3315148 by CK
- Missä on lähin sairaala?Where's the nearest hospital?Tatoeba #10647612 by Johannes_S, translation #1740507 by CK
- 86 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Juho and Anna are discussing where to go because of an emergency.
- JuhoMeidän täytyy mennä sairaalaan heti.We must go to the hospital immediately.
- AnnaOnko sairaala kaukana täältä?Is the hospital far from here?
- JuhoEi, se on vain viiden minuutin matka.No, it is only a five-minute trip.
- AnnaHyvä, lähdetään sitten nopeasti.Good, let's leave quickly then.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “hospital” translations and entries sairaala, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries sairaala, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
