vesi
/ˈʋesi/
The English word water is vesi in Finnish.
vesi refers to the inorganic compound H₂O.
Meaning: inorganic compound H₂O (noun)
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
Use the partitive form vettä when referring to water as an uncountable mass or when the quantity is indefinite. Use the genitive form veden to indicate possession or to show an 'of' relationship, such as 'the water's temperature'.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈʋesi/
Did you know?
- In Finnish, the word vesi can be used in the idiom mennä veteen, which literally means 'to go into the water' but is used to say a plan has failed or fallen through.
- The word vesi is not an Indo-European word like the English 'water', but belongs to the Uralic language family, shared by languages as far away as the Nenets people in Siberia.
- Finnish has highly specialized words for the 'edge of the water' that change depending on whether the liquid is a lake, a river, or a marsh.
Examples in context
- Vesi on hyvin kuumaa.The water is very hot.This sentence is useful for describing the temperature of the vesi.Tatoeba #10527751 by ameliette, translation #6861434 by kaiperkins271
- Järven vesi on sameaa.The water in the lake is murky.This sentence is useful for describing the clarity of the vesi.Tatoeba #11599111 by Johannes_S, translation #7869561 by AlanF_US
- Vesi virtaa sillan ali.The water flows under the bridge.This sentence is useful for describing the movement of the vesi.Tatoeba #1224091 by Ketutar, translation #1224092 by Ketutar
- Voisitteko tuoda minulle lasin vettä?Could you bring me a glass of water?
- Tarvitsemme juomavettä retkelle.We need drinking water for the trip.
- Tuohan minulle vettä, kiitos!Bring me some water, please!
- 73 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Matti and Sofia are sitting at a dining table.
- MattiHaluatko vesiä?Do you want some water?
- SofiaKyllä, kiitos.Yes, please.
- MattiTässä on vesi.Here is the water.
- SofiaKiitos paljon, Matti.Thank you very much, Matti.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “water” translations and entries vesi, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
