Questions & Answers about Kuinka pitkä tyvi on?
Why do we use kuinka here instead of miten?
When asking about the degree or measurement of an adjective (like how long, how old, or how heavy), kuinka is the traditional and standard choice. While you might hear miten pitkä in casual speech, kuinka is the proper choice for measurements.
The English translation says "are the roots", but isn't tyvi on strictly singular?
Yes, structurally the Finnish sentence is entirely singular. English uses the plural "roots" when talking about hair regrowth, but Finnish treats the base of the hair (or the base of a plant stem) as a single continuous area, called tyvi.
Does tyvi mean the same kind of root as juuri?
Not quite. Juuri refers to the actual underground, biological root of a plant. Tyvi refers to the bottom part or base of something attached to a surface, like the base of a tree trunk, the base of a thumb, or the visible "roots" of dyed hair.
Could I change the word order to Kuinka tyvi on pitkä?
No, the word kuinka and the adjective it modifies (pitkä) must stay glued together at the beginning of the question, exactly like "How long" does in English.
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