kaksikymmentä
Lemma: kaksikymmentä
Translation: twenty (numeral)
Etymology: Compound of 'kaksi' (two) and 'kymmentä' (partitive of 'kymmenen', ten). The structure literally means 'two tens', following the Finnish pattern for forming decade numbers. This transparent formation is similar to many other languages that build numbers by multiplication, though Finnish uses the partitive case for the multiplied number.
Mnemonics
- Think of 'kaksi' (two) + 'kymmentä' (tens) = 'two tens' = twenty
- The 'kaksi' part sounds a bit like 'taxi' - imagine two taxis carrying ten people each
Related Words, Phrases & Idioms
Synonyms
Example Wordforms
Cultural Context
Like in many cultures, the age of twenty is significant in Finnish society as it represents full adulthood. In colloquial Finnish, people often use the shortened form 'kakskyt' instead of the standard 'kaksikymmentä'.
Easily Confused With
Explanation: Kaksitoista means 'twelve' (2+10), while kaksikymmentä means 'twenty' (2×10). They both start with 'kaksi' (two) but combine with different number words.
Confused word:
Kello on kaksitoista.
It's twelve o'clock.
Notes: In colloquial speech, kaksikymmentä is often shortened to 'kakskyt' while kaksitoista becomes 'kakstoista' or 'kakstoist'.
Mnemonic: 'Toista' in kaksitoista sounds like 'twist' - imagine twisting 2 and 10 together to get 12. 'Kymmentä' in kaksikymmentä clearly contains 'kymmenen' (ten), so it's 2 × 10 = 20.
Explanation: Kaksisataa means 'two hundred' (2×100), while kaksikymmentä means 'twenty' (2×10). Both are compound numerals starting with 'kaksi' (two).
Notes: The structure of compound numbers in Finnish follows a consistent pattern, making it easier to learn the system once you understand the basic principles.
Mnemonic: Remember 'sataa' means 'hundred', while 'kymmentä' relates to 'ten'.