Finnish grammar is famous for having 15 noun cases.

Six of these cases are simply used to express location and movement.

They answer the three basic location question words: missä (where), mistä (from where), and mihin (to where).

Mastering these local cases is essential for describing where things are and where they’re going.

In this guide, I’ll explain exactly how to use the inner and outer local cases in Finnish.

The two types of Finnish local cases

Finnish local cases are divided into two distinct groups: inner and outer.

Inner local cases describe being inside, moving out of, or moving into something.

Outer local cases describe being on top of, moving off of, or moving onto something.

You can think of the inner cases as closed 3D spaces, like a house or a box.

You can think of the outer cases as open 2D surfaces, like a table, a street, or a bus stop.

Here’s a simple look at how these two categories align with our three main question words.

Missä (where / location)

The word missä translates directly to “where” in English.

It’s used when someone or something is completely stationary.

There’s no physical movement or travel involved when using this case.

If something is physically inside a space, we use the inner case ending -ssa or -ssä.

This grammar concept is called the inessive case.

If something is on top of an open surface or located at a general place, we use the outer case ending -lla or -llä.

This grammar concept is called the adessive case.

Notice that the endings change slightly depending on standard Finnish vowel harmony rules.

Mistä (from where / origin)

The word mistä translates directly to “from where”.

It’s used when describing the starting point or origin of a movement.

If you’re moving out from inside a closed place, you use the inner ending -sta or -stä.

This is known as the elative case.

If you’re moving away from an open surface or taking something from a person, you use the outer ending -lta or -ltä.

This is known as the ablative case.

Mihin (to where / destination)

The word mihin translates directly to “to where”.

It’s used when describing a destination or a movement ending at a specific place.

If you’re going inside a closed space, you use the inner ending.

This is known as the illative case.

The illative ending varies depending on the word, but it’s usually a lengthened vowel plus -n (such as -Vn, -hVn, or -seen).

If you’re going onto an open surface, moving to an open area, or giving something to a person, you use the outer ending -lle.

This is known as the allative case.

Summary of local case endings

Learning these six endings will cover the vast majority of location-based phrases you need in everyday Finnish.

Keep in mind whether your subject is moving or staying completely still.

Then, determine if the location is an inner space or an outer surface.

Here’s a final summary table of the actual endings you’ll attach to your Finnish vocabulary words.