kuin

Comparing with Kuin

Level 2

The word kuin is the standard way to compare things in Finnish. It is used with the comparative degree (-mpi) to mean 'than', or with 'yhtä' to mean 'as... as'.

How It Works

1. Basic Comparison (Than)
When you want to say something is 'more' than something else, you use an adjective in the comparative form followed by kuin.
Example: Tämä auto on nopeampi kuin tuo auto. (This car is faster than that car.)

2. Equality and Similes (As... as / Like)
To say two things are equal, use the structure yhtä [adjective] kuin.
Example: Minä olen yhtä pitkä kuin sinä. (I am as tall as you.)
You also use kuin to mean 'like' or 'as' in similes: Hän on kuin kivi. (He is like a rock.)

3. The Mirror Rule (Case Agreement)
The noun after kuin must be in the same case as the first noun in the comparison:

  • Nominative: Minä [Nom.] olen vanhempi kuin hän [Nom.]. (I am older than he.)
  • Partitive: Rakastan teetä [Part.] enemmän kuin kahvia [Part.]. (I love tea more than coffee.)
  • Elative: Pidän tästä [Ela.] enemmän kuin tuosta [Ela.]. (I like this more than that.)

4. Pro Tip: Comparison Without 'kuin'
You can also express comparison by putting the noun in the partitive case before the comparative adjective. This is called comparison with the partitive.
Example: Hän on minua vanhempi. (He is older than me / He is 'me-older'.)

5. Spoken Finnish
In spoken Finnish, kuin (than) and kun (when) both usually shorten to ku. In standard writing, however, they are distinct: use kuin for 'than' and kun for 'when'.

Examples (5)

  1. Helsinki on suurempi kuin Tampere.

    Helsinki is bigger than Tampere.

    Word by Word: Helsinki is bigger than Tampere.

    A standard comparison using the comparative adjective 'suurempi' (bigger).

  2. Olet yhtä viisas kuin isäsi.

    You are as wise as your father.

    Word by Word: You-are equally wise than father-your.

    Using 'yhtä... kuin' to show equality between two subjects.

  3. Hän juoksee nopeammin kuin minä.

    He runs faster than I (do).

    Word by Word: He runs faster than I.

    Comparison using a comparative adverb 'nopeammin' (faster).

  4. Pidän omenista enemmän kuin päärynöistä.

    I like apples more than pears.

    Word by Word: I-like apples-from more than pears-from.

    Notice the 'mirror rule': because 'apples' is in the elative case (-ista), 'pears' must also be in the elative case (-istä).

  5. Tämä oli helpompi kuin luulin.

    This was easier than I thought.

    Word by Word: This was easier than I-thought.

    'Kuin' can also introduce a whole clause (a mini-sentence).

Common Mistakes

  • Using the nominative case by default after 'kuin'.

    Pidän teestä enemmän kuin kahvi.
    Pidän teestä enemmän kuin kahvista.

    Since 'teestä' is in the elative case, the thing you are comparing it to ('kahvista') must also be in the elative case.

  • Writing 'kun' instead of 'kuin' in formal text.

    Hän on vanhempi kun minä.
    Hän on vanhempi kuin minä.

    In speech, people say 'kun' or 'ku', but in written Finnish, 'kun' means 'when' and 'kuin' means 'than'.

How It Connects

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kuinLevel 2Comparing with Kuin

Learn This First

To use 'kuin' in comparisons, you first need to understand how to form the comparative degree of adjectives using the -mpi suffix. Additionally, you should be familiar with basic sentence structures using the verb 'olla' (to be) and demonstrative pronouns, as these provide the context for comparing two entities.

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kuin