maapähkinä
/ˈmɑːˌpæhkinæ/
The English word peanut is maapähkinä in Finnish.
maapähkinä refers to a legume resembling a nut. You can ask for maapähkinät at a grocery store or market. Additionally, the compound word maapähkinävoi is used to mean peanut butter.
Meaning: a legume resembling a nut (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The word maapähkinä is a compound of maa (earth/ground) and pähkinä (nut).
How does it change in a sentence?
maapähkinä is a singular noun. The plural form is maapähkinät.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈmɑːˌpæhkinæ/
Did you know?
- Because Finnish is an agglutinative language, a single word based on maapähkinä can express an entire sentence like 'in my peanuts'.
- The term pähkinä is often used in Finnish to describe something that is 'hard to crack' or difficult to understand, much like the English 'tough nut to crack'.
- The Finnish word maapähkinä is a direct linguistic mirror of the Swedish word jordnöt, where 'jord' means 'earth' and 'nöt' means 'nut'.
Examples in context
- Kuinka monta kaloria on maapähkinävoileivässä?How many calories is a peanut butter sandwich?This sentence is useful for asking about the calorie content of a sandwich containing maapähkinä.Tatoeba #3107901 by Kalle63, translation #2912464 by CK
- Laitan maapähkinävoileipääni hunajaa hillon sijaan.I put honey on my peanut butter sandwich instead of jam.This sentence shows how to use maapähkinä in the context of a sandwich topping.Tatoeba #13840658 by Silja, translation #8373126 by CK
- Me tarvitsemme omenoita, appelsiineja, leipää ja maapähkinävoita supermarketista.We need apples, oranges, bread and peanut butter from the supermarket.This sentence is useful for listing items including maapähkinä in a grocery context.Tatoeba #5647992 by Orava, translation #4795335 by NatsuDonkey
- Kasvisruoka saattaa sisältää maapähkinääVegetarian food may contain peanuts
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Anna and Juho are talking about snacks.
- AnnaHaluatko maapähkinää vai saksanpähkinää?Do you want a peanut or a walnut?
- JuhoOtan mieluiten maapähkinää.I would prefer a peanut.
- AnnaOletko allerginen sille?Are you allergic to it?
- JuhoEn, maapähkinä sopii minulle hyvin.No, a peanut is fine for me.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “peanut” translations and entries maapähkinä, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries maapähkinä, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
