Tiiviste on rikki, joten ikkunasta tulee vetoa.

Tiiviste means a seal, gasket, or weather strip—the part around a window or door that is supposed to keep air from coming through.

In this sentence, it most likely means the window seal.

Rikki means broken.

The expression olla rikki is a very common Finnish way to say that something is broken:

• Puhelin on rikki. = The phone is broken.
• Ovi on rikki. = The door is broken.
• Tiiviste on rikki. = The seal is broken.

Even though English uses an adjective like broken, Finnish uses rikki in this fixed expression with olla.

It behaves a bit differently from a normal adjective.

In many beginner explanations, it is easiest to learn on rikki as a set phrase meaning is broken.
Unlike many ordinary adjectives, rikki does not change form here.

So just remember:

• on rikki = is broken
• meni rikki = broke / got broken

For example:

• Lasi meni rikki. = The glass broke.
• Lasi on rikki. = The glass is broken.

Joten means so, therefore, or which is why.

It links a cause and a result:

• Tiiviste on rikki = The seal is broken
• joten ikkunasta tulee vetoa = so a draft comes from the window

So joten introduces the consequence.

Ikkunasta is the elative case of ikkuna.

• ikkuna = window
• ikkunasta = from the window, out of the window

The ending -sta / -stä often means out of or from inside/from something.

Examples:

• talosta = from the house
• autosta = from the car
• ikkunasta = from the window

In this sentence, it marks the source of the draft.

Finnish often expresses this idea as something comes from somewhere.

So:

• ikkunasta tulee vetoa

literally means something like:

• draft comes from the window

Natural English would usually say:

• There’s a draft coming from the window
• A draft is coming through the window

So the Finnish structure is different from English, even though the meaning is straightforward.

This is one of the most important grammar points in the sentence.

Vetoa is the partitive singular of veto.

• veto = draft / draught
• vetoa = draft (partitive form)

The partitive is used here because the sentence is talking about an indefinite amount of something happening or being present. It is not referring to one specific, countable draft as a complete item. It is more like some draft, draftiness, or a bit of air coming through.

This is very common in Finnish with things that are not seen as clearly bounded or countable.

So:

• ikkunasta tulee vetoa = draft is coming from the window / there is a draft from the window

Yes—veto has several meanings depending on context.

Common meanings include:

• pull
• traction
• appeal / drawing power
• draft / draught (cold air moving inside)

In this sentence, veto clearly means draft—cold air coming in through a bad seal.

So context is very important.

Semantically, yes: the draft is what is coming.

But grammatically, Finnish often treats these there is / there comes kinds of sentences differently from English. In sentences like this, the noun often appears in the partitive, especially when it refers to an indefinite amount.

So instead of thinking too hard in terms of English subject rules, it is easiest to learn the pattern:

• jostakin tulee jotakin = something comes from somewhere

Here:

• ikkunasta = from the window
• tulee = comes
• vetoa = draft

Finnish does not have articles like a, an, or the.

So:

• tiiviste can mean a seal or the seal
• ikkuna can mean a window or the window
• vetoa can mean something like a draft or just draft

You understand which one is meant from the context.

Yes. Finnish word order is fairly flexible, although some orders sound more natural depending on what you want to emphasize.

The original sentence:

• Tiiviste on rikki, joten ikkunasta tulee vetoa.

is very natural.

You could also say:

• Tiiviste on rikki, joten vetoa tulee ikkunasta.

This puts a bit more focus on vetoa.

Both are understandable, but the original version is probably the most neutral and natural in this context.

Yes. A very common everyday expression is to use the verb vetää in the sense to let in a draft:

• Ikkunasta vetää. = There’s a draft coming from the window.
• Ikkuna vetää. = The window is drafty / The window lets in a draft.

So the original sentence and these alternatives are closely related in meaning.

The original sentence is a bit more explicit because it mentions both the broken seal and the draft directly.