sairaanhoitaja
/ˈsɑi̯rɑːnˌhoi̯tɑjɑ/
The English word nurse translates to Finnish as sairaanhoitaja. Wiktionary also lists hoitaja and hoitajatar.
Meaning: person trained to provide care for the sick (noun)
Ways to say it
| Finnish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| sairaanhoitaja | /ˈsɑi̯rɑːnˌhoi̯tɑjɑ/ | |
| hoitaja | /ˈhoi̯tɑjɑ/ | |
| hoitajatar | /ˈhoi̯tɑjɑtɑr/ | feminine |
| sairaanhoitajatar | /ˈsɑi̯rɑːnˌhoi̯tɑjɑtɑr/ | feminine |
The term refers to a person trained to provide care for the sick. Relatedly, the verb hoitaa means to care for the sick.
Which one should you use?
sairaanhoitaja specifically refers to a professionally trained nurse, whereas hoitaja is a more general term for a caregiver or attendant. hoitaja is often used in contexts like elderly care or childcare to refer to a caregiver who may not necessarily hold a professional nursing degree.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The suffix -tar can be added to the end of certain nouns to specify a female professional, though modern Finnish increasingly uses the gender-neutral form.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈsɑi̯rɑːnˌhoi̯tɑjɑ/
Did you know?
- The verb hoitaa is incredibly versatile and can also mean 'to manage' or 'to handle' a task, like 'managing' an office or 'handling' a business matter.
- The Finnish word hoitaja shares a distant conceptual link with words describing the 'maintenance' of a building or machine.
- The term sairaanhoitaja is closely related to the Karelian word šairahienhoitaja spoken in parts of Finland and Russia.
Examples in context
- Se nainen on sairaanhoitaja.The woman is a nurse.This sentence is useful for identifying a woman as a sairaanhoitaja.Tatoeba #7834083 by Thanuir, translation #2348107 by Adelpa
- Veljeni tytär on sairaanhoitaja.My niece is a nurse.This sentence is useful for identifying a niece as a sairaanhoitaja.Tatoeba #4406716 by Orava, translation #3635941 by CK
- Mummin hoitaja on valtavan kiltti.My grandmother's nurse is very kind.This sentence is useful for describing a grandmother's hoitaja.Tatoeba #2677443 by Kalle63, translation #681300 by Source_VOA
- Hyvää päivää, voisitteko kertoa sairaanhoitajan nimen, joka hoitaa potilasta huoneessa 204?Good day, could you tell me the name of the nurse who is taking care of the patient in room 204?
- Kävin tänään terveydenhoitajalla.I went to see the nurse today.
- 14 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Emma and Antti are talking about Emma's new job.
- EmmaMinä olen nyt sairaanhoitaja.I am a nurse now.
- AnttiOnnittelut! Missä sinä työskentelet?Congratulations! Where do you work?
- EmmaTyöskentelen paikallisessa sairaalassa.I work at the local hospital.
- AnttiSe on varmasti hieno ammatti.That is surely a great profession.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “nurse” translations and entries sairaanhoitaja, hoitaja, hoitajatar, sairaanhoitajatar, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries hoitaja, hoitajatar, sairaanhoitaja, sairaanhoitajatar, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
