Learn Finnish: Sukukokous oli tylsähkö, mutta minun pikkuserkkuni oli hauska. - The family gathering was somewhat boring, but my second cousin was funny.

The suffix -hko or -hkö is used to moderate or soften an adjective, similar to adding "-ish" or "somewhat" in English. Since tylsä means "boring", adding the suffix creates tylsähkö, which means "somewhat boring" or "rather boring".

Why does the suffix take the form -hkö instead of -hko in tylsähkö?

This is dictated by vowel harmony. Because the root word tylsä contains the front vowels y and ä, any ending attached to it must also use front vowels. Therefore, we use -hkö with an ö rather than -hko with an o.

Does pikkuserkku literally mean "little cousin"?

Literally it translates to "little cousin", but in Finnish family trees, pikkuserkku specifically means "second cousin". A regular first cousin is simply serkku.

Why are both the pronoun minun and the possessive suffix -ni used in minun pikkuserkkuni?