punainen
/ˈpunɑi̯nen/
The Finnish word for red is punainen.
punainen refers to the colour red. It is also used in specific contexts, such as in astronomy to describe the lower-frequency region of the electromagnetic spectrum or in card games to describe the hearts or diamonds suits.
Meaning: colour (noun)
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The form of the word changes depending on its role in a sentence. Use punaisen for the genitive case, such as when saying 'of the red'. Use punaiselle for the allative case, which expresses movement 'to' or 'onto' the red thing. For an indefinite amount of red things in the partitive case, use punaisia. Finally, use punaisesta for the elative case, which is used with verbs or prepositions meaning 'from' or 'about' the red thing.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈpunɑi̯nen/
Did you know?
- In Finnish folk traditions, the color punainen was historically believed to protect people and livestock from evil spirits and sickness.
- The term punainen is used in Finnish politics to describe the 'Reds' in the historical context of the Finnish Civil War of 1918.
- While punainen means 'red', the word puna refers to the color in a more abstract sense and appears in the term puna for 'blush' or 'glow'.
Examples in context
- Se talo on punainen.The house is red.This sentence shows how to use punainen to describe a house.Tatoeba #7837724 by Thanuir, translation #4042344 by falekseev
- Tuo puu on punainen.That tree is red.This sentence shows how to use punainen to describe a tree.Tatoeba #7837747 by Thanuir, translation #7327799 by MarijnKp
- Minun on se punainen.Mine is the red one.This sentence shows how to use punainen to identify the red one.Tatoeba #3991577 by Silja, translation #3170693 by CK
- Hänellä on punainen paita.He/she has a red shirt.
- Tämä huone on punainen.This room is red.
- Pidän punaisesta autosta.I like the red car.
- 51 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Mikko and Laura are looking at a piece of clothing in a shop.
- MikkoOnko tämä paita punainen?Is this shirt red?
- LauraEi, se on vaaleanpunainen.No, it is pink.
- MikkoEhkä tuo toinen on punainen.Maybe that other one is red.
- LauraKyllä, tuo on todella punainen.Yes, that one is really red.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “red” translations and entries punainen, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
