When you want to ask "what kind of" something is, or "what is it like?", Finnish gives you two interchangeable question words: millainen and minkälainen. Both are used to ask for a description or to discover the qualities of a person or thing.
Using Millainen
Millainen is the most standard way to ask "what kind of". Because it asks about qualities, it acts like an adjective. You will usually place it directly before the noun you are asking about, or pair it with the verb olla (to be).
| What kind of circus is in the city? | Millainen sirkus kaupungissa on? |
| What kind of clown does tricks and makes the audience laugh? | Millainen pelle tekee temppuja ja naurattaa yleisöä? |
| What kind of balloon does the clown have? | Millainen ilmapallo pellellä on? |
Using Minkälainen
Minkälainen means exactly the same thing as millainen and is used in the exact same way. You can choose whichever you prefer, though minkälainen is very common in everyday spoken Finnish.
| What kind of acrobatic performance is next? | Minkälainen on seuraava akrobaattinen esitys? |
| What kind of acrobat is jumping on the stage? | Minkälainen akrobaatti lavalla hyppää? |
| What kind of clown are you, and are you also an acrobat? | Minkälainen pelle sä oot, ja ootko sä myös akrobaatti? |
Answering with Qualities
To answer a millainen or minkälainen question, you simply provide a descriptive adjective. In this lesson, you will practice describing circus performances using adjectives like notkea (flexible), peloton (fearless), and hämmästyttävä (amazing).
| The fearless clown is sitting in the tent. | Peloton pelle istuu teltassa. |
| The circus's performance is truly amazing. | Sirkuksen esitys on todella hämmästyttävä. |
