Abbreviations in Formal Writing

Level 6

In formal Finnish, a colon acts as a 'grammatical joint' between non-standard words (like numbers or abbreviations) and their case endings.

How It Works

The colon is a hallmark of formal Finnish orthography (yleiskieli). It signals to the reader that the preceding element is not a standard alphabetic word and provides a visual bridge for the suffix.

1. Initialisms vs. Acronyms
If an abbreviation is read letter-by-letter (an initialism), use a colon: EU:ssa (in the EU). If it is read as a word (an acronym), attach the ending directly: Kelassa (in Kela). If an acronym ends in a consonant, a binding vowel i is inserted: Unicefiin. The case ending's vowel harmony is determined by the pronunciation of the last letter (e.g., EU ends in /u/, a back vowel, so it takes -ssa).

2. Numbers and Symbols
Numbers require a colon when they are in an inflected case (like the genitive or partitive): 5:nnen kerroksen (of the 5th floor). The colon is not used in the nominative: Bussi 5. Note that in Finnish, a space is always required between a number and a symbol: 10 %:n alennus (a 10% discount).

3. Long Vowel Endings
When using the illative with a colon, the long vowel must be written out in full, even if the abbreviation ends in that same vowel sound: EU:hun, USA:han.

4. Dot-ending and Internal Abbreviations
When an abbreviation ending in a dot (like ns.) needs an ending, the dot is replaced by a colon: ns:n. However, abbreviations that include the final letter of the original word, such as Hki (Helsinki) or nro (numero), never use a colon: Hkiin, nrossa.

Examples (5)

  1. Suomi liittyi EU:hun vuonna 1995.

    Finland joined the EU in 1995.

    Word by Word: Finland joined EU-into year-in 1995.

    EU is an initialism read letter-by-letter (ee-uu), so it requires a colon before the illative ending -hun.

  2. Kokous jatkuu klo 16:een saakka.

    The meeting will continue until 4:00 PM.

    Word by Word: Meeting continues o'clock 16-into until.

    The number 16 (kuuteentoista) takes the illative case ending -een, separated by a colon.

  3. Hän työskentelee YK:ssa.

    He/She works at the UN.

    Word by Word: He/She works UN-in.

    YK (Yhdistyneet kansakunnat) is read as 'yy-koo', requiring a colon for the inessive ending -ssa.

  4. Sain 10 %:n alennuksen.

    I got a 10% discount.

    Word by Word: I-got 10 percent-of discount.

    The percent symbol (%) requires a colon to attach the genitive -n ending.

  5. Tämä on ns:n ryhmän päätös.

    This is the decision of the so-called group.

    Word by Word: This is so-called-of group-of decision.

    The abbreviation 'ns.' (niin sanottu) loses its dot and gains a colon when inflected in the genitive.

Common Mistakes

  • Using a colon with acronyms read as words.

    Hän on töissä Kela:ssa.
    Hän on töissä Kelassa.

    Kela is pronounced as a word, not letter-by-letter (K-E-L-A). Therefore, it behaves like a normal noun and does not take a colon.

  • Keeping the dot when adding a colon to an abbreviation.

    Tämä löytyy ns.:stä kohdasta.
    Tämä löytyy ns:stä kohdasta.

    In Finnish orthography, you never use a dot and a colon together. The colon replaces the dot when a case ending is added.

  • Using a colon in compound words involving numbers.

    Asun 50:n-luvun talossa.
    Asun 50-luvun talossa.

    When a number is part of a compound word (like 50-luku), use a hyphen to connect the number to the word. A colon is only for endings attached directly to the number.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

Abbreviations in Formal WritingLevel 6

Learn This First

To learn official abbreviations, you need to understand how Finnish case endings are attached to non-standard word forms like acronyms and numbers using a colon. This requires a solid grasp of the case system and how numbers are inflected.