veljentytär
/ˈʋeljenˌtytær/
In Finnish, the English word niece is translated as veljentytär or sisarentytär.
Meaning: fraternal or sororal niece (noun)
Ways to say it
| Finnish | IPA |
|---|---|
| veljentytär | /ˈʋeljenˌtytær/ |
| sisarentytär | /ˈsisɑrenˌtytær/ |
The Finnish language distinguishes between a niece based on whether she is the daughter of a brother or a sister.
What does it mean word for word?
The word veljentytär is a compound of veljen (brother's) and tytär (daughter). The word sisarentytär is a compound of sisaren (sister's) and tytär (daughter).
Which one should you use?
Use veljentytär specifically when referring to the daughter of a brother (fraternal niece). Use sisarentytär specifically when referring to the daughter of a sister (sororal niece).
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈʋeljenˌtytær/
Did you know?
- Finnish lacks a single, gender-neutral word for 'niece or nephew' that doesn't either specify the sibling or the child's gender.
- Because Finnish uses compound words for relatives, you can create a word for 'great-niece' simply by adding iso- to the start, as in isoveljentytär.
- In Finnish, if a person's brother has a daughter, she is always a veljentytär, regardless of the speaker's gender.
Examples in context
- Mari ei ole minun tytär. Hän on veljentytär.Mary isn't my daughter. She's my niece.This sentence is useful for clarifying the relationship between a person and their veljentytär.Tatoeba #10022016 by Johannes_S, translation #7542368 by CK
- Minun siskontyttäreni on todella lahjakas.My niece is very talented.
- Onko hän sinun veljentytäresi?Is she your niece?
Example conversation
Mikko and Laura are looking at a photo in a family album.
- MikkoKuka tämä pieni tyttö on?Who is this little girl?
- LauraHän on minun veljentytär.She is my niece.
- MikkoHän näyttää todella söpöltä.She looks really cute.
- LauraKiitos, hän on todella suloinen.Thanks, she is really sweet.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “niece” translations and entries veljentytär, sisarentytär, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
