Emphasizing "Both... and..." with "niin ... kuin ... -kin"
In formal Finnish, the correlative structure niin ... kuin ... -kin means "both ... and" or "as well as."
The structure wraps around the two elements you are linking:
- niin comes right before the first element.
- kuin comes right before the second element.
- -kin (meaning "also") attaches to the very end of the second element.
| Both cars and ships use biogas. | Niin autot kuin laivatkin käyttävät biokaasua. |
If the linked words are in a specific grammatical case, such as the partitive, the -kin suffix must be added after the case ending.
| Many countries use both renewable energy and fossil fuels. | Moni maa käyttää niin uusiutuvaa energiaa kuin fossiilista polttoainettakin. |
Adding "-kin" to Other Cases
This rule about suffix order applies to all grammatical cases. Whether you are expressing where something happens or who it benefits, always attach -kin to the very end of the word.
For example, kylissä (in the villages) becomes kylissäkin (in the villages too).
| Solar panels reduce the carbon footprint both in cities and in villages. | Aurinkopaneelit vähentävät hiilijalanjälkeä niin kaupungeissa kuin kylissäkin. |
| Wind power is a good investment both for nature and for the economy. | Tuulivoima on hyvä investointi niin luonnolle kuin taloudellekin. |
| The new power plant brings renewable electricity to both factories and homes. | Uusi voimala tuo uusiutuvaa sähköä niin tehtaisiin kuin koteihinkin. |
Linking Adjectives
This structure isn't strictly for nouns. You can also link adjectives to emphasize that something possesses two distinct qualities at the same time.
| This power plant is both efficient and emission-free. | Tämä voimala on niin tehokas kuin päästötönkin. |
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