Suhteellinen Pronomi: joka - Relative Pronouns 🔗 #

2026-03-22

The relative pronoun joka (that, which, who) is used to introduce relative clauses that provide additional information about a noun.

Two Uses of Relative joka #

1. As an Adjective/Determiner: Each/Every #

• joka päivä = each day
• Opiskelen suomea joka päivä. (I study Finnish every day.)
• Hän käy lenkillä joka päivä. (He/she goes for a jog every day.)
• joka kerta = each time

2. As a Relative Pronoun (Main Usage) #

The relative clause introduced by joka modifies a noun in the main clause:

• Main clause + joka clause (comma usually separates the antecedent from the relative clause).
• Rule 1: joka takes the case of its role inside the relative clause (not the case of the noun it refers to in the main clause).
• Rule 2: joka usually sits right after the word it modifies.

Declension of joka #

Key Rules for Using joka #

(Same as under “As a relative pronoun” above.)

1. Case = role in the relative clause, not the case of the antecedent in the main clause.
2. Position: joka usually comes immediately after the noun it modifies.

Common Example Patterns #

Pattern 1: joka as Subject in Relative Clause #

English Structure: Noun + that/which + [verb in relative clause]

• Tyttö, joka laulaa, on iloinen. — The girl who is singing is happy. (joka = subject of laulaa → nominative.)

• Tyttö, joka on iloinen, laulaa. — The girl who is happy is singing. (Different focus; same rule: joka = subject → joka.)

• Nuo miehet, jotka ovat komeita, ovat suomalaisia. — Those men who are handsome are Finnish.

• Nuo miehet, jotka ovat suomalaisia, ovat komeita. — Those men who are Finnish are handsome.

Pattern 2: joka as Object in Relative Clause #

When joka is the object of a partitive verb:

• Talvi, jota me vihaamme, loppuu kohta.
  • (Winter, which we hate, ends soon.)
  • jota = object (partitive) → partitive

Pattern 3: joka with Genitive Possession #

When the relative clause shows possession:

• Talvi, jonka yöt ovat pitkiä, loppuu kohta.
  • (Winter, whose nights are long, ends soon.)
  • jonka yöt = its nights → genitive

Pattern 4: joka with Inessive (location) #

When showing location in the relative clause:

• Tuo kauppa, jossa myydään viiniä, on kallis.
  • (That store, where wine is sold, is expensive.)
  • jossa = in which → inessive

Pattern 5: joka with Elative (from where) #

When expressing movement from a location:

• Tuo mies, josta tytöt puhuvat, on suomalainen.
  • (That man, whom the girls talk about/about whom the girls talk, is Finnish.)
  • josta = from/about which → elative

Pattern 6: joka with Allative (to where) #

When expressing direction:

• Tori, jolle minä menen, on täynnä ihmisiä.
  • (The market (square) that I’m going to is full of people.)
  • jolle = to which → allative

Pattern 7: joka with Adessive (with whom) #

When showing association:

• Tässä on minun ystävä Heli, jolla on kaksi koiraa.
  • (Here is my friend Heli, who has two dogs.)
  • jolla = with whom/who has → adessive

Longer narrative examples (joka in context) #

• Varas on vienyt kellarinkomerosta ainakin teltan ja laatikon, jossa oli Hannan isoäidin vanhat hienot kahvikupit. — The thief has taken at least a tent and a box from the basement storeroom, in which were Hanna’s grandmother’s old fine coffee cups. (jossa = inessive: the cups were in the box.)
• Onneksi mä ehdin just myydä mun kilpapyörän, jota mä oon aina säilyttänyt täällä. — Luckily I just managed to sell my racing bike, which I’ve always stored here. (spoken mä, mun, oon; jota = partitive object of säilyttää.)
• Hänen täytyy ilmoittaa tarkasti kaikki tavarat, jotka varas on vienyt. — He/she must report exactly all the goods that the thief has taken. (jotka refers to tavarat and is shaped by its role in the relative clause.)
• He saavat korvauksen, mutta omavastuu, joka on 150 euroa, heidän pitää maksaa itse. — They get compensation, but the deductible, which is 150 euros, they have to pay themselves. (joka = nominative: omavastuu is 150 €.)

Textbook-style drills (exercise 21) #

1. Opiskelijat menevät kirjastoon, jossa he voivat käyttää tietokonetta.

   • (Students go to the library where they can use a computer.)

2. Työkaverit istuvat kahvilassa, joka on Rikhardinkadulla.

   • (Coworkers sit in a café that is on Rikhardinkatu.)

3. Tuolla on nainen, jonka nimi on Sarita.

   • (There is a woman whose name is Sarita.)

4. Katri juo vihreää teetä, josta hän pitää kovasti.

   • (Katri drinks green tea which she really likes.)

5. Koirat, jotka eivät nyt ole mukana, ovat labradorinnoutajia.

   • (The dogs that are not here now are Labradors.)

6. Tuo teksti on kiinaa, jota minä en osaa.

   • (That text is Chinese, which I don’t understand.)

7. Pöydällä on kirja, jonka minä luin viikonloppuna.

   • (There’s a book on the table that I read over the weekend.)

8. Eilen söimme ihanaa omenapiirakkaa, jota minä rakastan.

   • (Yesterday we ate wonderful apple pie that I love.)

9. Minun ystävä, jolta sain kirjeen eilen, asuu Venäjällä.

   • (My friend, from whom I received a letter yesterday, lives in Russia.)

Tips for Learning #

1. Identify the antecedent - the noun being modified
2. Determine the function of joka in the relative clause (subject, object, etc.)
3. Choose the correct case - match the case to the function, not the antecedent
4. Check word order - joka usually comes immediately after the antecedent
5. Practice with different cases - each case changes the meaning and structure
6. Remember comma usage - Finnish often uses commas with relative clauses (like English)

Common Mistakes to Avoid #

• ❌ Using nominative when joka is an object
• ❌ Placing joka far from the noun it modifies
• ❌ Matching the case of joka to the antecedent instead of its own function
• ✅ Always check what role joka plays in the relative clause