Category: Odds & Ends | Nippeid Näppeid - Maakeel: Estonian Language

Compound Words (Liitsõnad)

4/15/2016

Estonian compound words are usually made of two nouns, the first one in the nominative (nimetav) or genitive (omastav) case, the second one in the nominative (nimetav) case. Compound words in Estonian are often creative and descriptive. Some of the more interesting and descriptive compound words include:

pesu (wash) + karu (bear) = pesukaru (washbear) raccoon

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kilp (shield) + konn (frog) = kilpkonn (shieldfrog) turtle

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jõe (river) + hobu (horse) = jõehobu (riverhorse) hippopotamus

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nina (nose) + sarvik (horn) = ninasarvik (nosehorn) rhinoceros

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raud (iron) + tee (road) = raudtee (ironroad) railroad

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pistik (plug) + pesa (nest) = pistikupesa (plugnest) outlet

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75 ways to say "80"

4/1/2016

For those not yet familiar with the Estonian case system, don't panic. You don't actually have to memorize 75 forms of the word "eighty", or of any other word.

But it is true that there are 75 forms of the word "eighty"*. Here's how: there are 14 cases in Estonian. Each case has a singular and plural form, making 28 total. The numbers, in addition, have cardinal (one, two, three) and ordinal (first, second, third) forms, which makes two sets of 28.   That makes 56, but in some cases there are more than one possible form. For the word "eighty" (or for any similar number word), many plural cases have two forms, and the total is 75 forms.

On the bright side, there are fairly consistent rules to how cases are formed, so for most words you can form the all the other cases by learning only three forms (nominative, genitive, and partitive).

*Why did I choose the number eighty? Because it's the one I encountered recently that was giving me trouble. I was trying to figure out the adessive plural of the ordinal number; in other words, I wanted to say "in the eighties". No, English doesn't use the ordinal number for this, but Estonian does: it means "in the eightieth (years)."

By the way, the correct form for "in the eighties" is kaheksakümnendatel.

Põhiarvud - cardinal
Ainsus - singular forms

nimetav (nominative)
omastav (genitive)
osastav (partitive) 1
osastav (partitive) 2
sisseütlev (illative)
seesütlev (inessive)
seestütlev (elative)
alaleütlev (allative)
alalütlev (adessive)
alaltütlev (ablative)
saav (translative)
rajav (terminative)
olev (essive)
ilmaütlev (abessive)
kaasaütlev (comitative)

Põhiarvud - cardinal
Mitmus - plural forms

nimetav (nominative)
omastav (genitive)
osastav (partitive)
sisseütlev (illative) 1
sisseütlev (illative) 2
seesütlev (inessive) 1
seesütlev (inessive) 2
seestütlev (elative) 1
seestütlev (elative) 2
alaleütlev (allative) 1
alaleütlev (allative) 2
alalütlev (adessive) 1
alalütlev (adessive) 2
alaltütlev (ablative) 1
alaltütlev (ablative) 2
saav (translative) 1
saav (translative) 2
rajav (terminative) 1
rajav (terminative) 2
olev (essive) 1
olev (essive) 2
ilmaütlev (abessive)
kaasaütlev (comitative)

Järgarvud - ordinal
Ainsus - singular forms

nimetav (nominative)
omastav (genitive)
osastav (partitive)
sisseütlev (illative)
seesütlev (inessive)
seestütlev (elative)
alaleütlev (allative)
alalütlev (adessive)
alaltütlev (ablative)
saav (translative)
rajav (terminative)
olev (essive)
ilmaütlev (abessive)
kaasaütlev (comitative)

Järgarvud - ordinal
Mitmus - plural forms

nimetav (nominative)
omastav (genitive)
osastav (partitive)
sisseütlev (illative) 1
sisseütlev (illative) 2
seesütlev (inessive) 1
seesütlev (inessive) 2
seestütlev (elative) 1
seestütlev (elative) 2
alaleütlev (allative) 1
alaleütlev (allative) 2
alalütlev (adessive) 1
alalütlev (adessive) 2
alaltütlev (ablative) 1
alaltütlev (ablative) 2
saav (translative) 1
saav (translative) 2
rajav (terminative) 1
rajav (terminative) 2
olev (essive) 1
olev (essive) 2
ilmaütlev (abessive)
kaasaütlev (comitative)

kaheksakümmend
kaheksakümne
kaheksatkümmend
kaheksatkümmet
kaheksakümnesse
kaheksakümnes
kaheksakümnest
kaheksakümnele
kaheksakümnel
kaheksakümnelt
kaheksakümneks
kaheksakümneni
kaheksakümnena
kaheksakümneta
kaheksakümnega

kaheksakümned
kaheksakümnete
kaheksakümneid
kaheksakümneisse
kaheksakümnetesse
kaheksakümneis
kaheksakümnetes
kaheksakümneist
kaheksakümnetest
kaheksakümneile
kaheksakümnetele
kaheksakümneil
kaheksakümnetel
kaheksakümneilt
kaheksakümnetelt
kaheksakümneiks
kaheksakümneteks
kaheksakümneini
kaheksakümneteni
kaheksakümneina
kaheksakümnetena
kaheksakümneteta
kaheksakümnetega

kaheksakümnes
kaheksakümnenda
kaheksakümnendat
kaheksakümnendasse
kaheksakümnendas
kaheksakümnendast
kaheksakümnendale
kaheksakümnendal
kaheksakümnendalt
kaheksakümnendaks
kaheksakümnendani
kaheksakümnendana
kaheksakümnendata
kaheksakümnendaga

kaheksakümnendad
kaheksakümnendate
kaheksakümnendaid
kaheksakümnendaisse
kaheksakümnendatesse
kaheksakümnendais
kaheksakümnendates
kaheksakümnendaist
kaheksakümnendatest
kaheksakümnendaile
kaheksakümnendatele
kaheksakümnendail
kaheksakümnendatel
kaheksakümnendailt
kaheksakümnendatelt
kaheksakümnendaiks
kaheksakümnendateks
kaheksakümnendaini
kaheksakümnendateni
kaheksakümnendaina
kaheksakümnendatena
kaheksakümnendateta
kaheksakümnendatega

Spoken Estonian (eesti kõnekeel)

12/30/2015

In spoken Estonian, especially in informal, fast speech, many words are shortened. This can make spoken language difficult to understand for people who have learned Estonian from textbooks.
Here are some examples of words which are frequently pronounced differently in fast speech.

Numbers
The word kümmend is often shortened to kend, and the letter h between two vowels is often dropped (with or without a change to the vowel sounds):
Kaeksa = kaheksa
Üeksa = üheksa
Öeksa = üheksa
Kend = kümmend
Kakskend = kakskümmend
Kolmkend = kolmkümmend
Viiskend = viiskümmend
Kaheksakend = kaheksakümmend
Üheksakend = üheksakümmend
Öeksakend = üheksakümmend

Past tense verbs
In fast speech, some sounds (frequently le, t or i) are dropped in the past tense:
Jõuds = jõudis
Leids = leidis
Murds = murdis
Mõts = mõtles
Mõtsin = mõtlesin
Ossin = ostsin
Tahsin = tahtsin
Tõssin = tõstsin
Üts = ütles
Ütsin = ütlesin

Past participles
The -nud ending can become -nd (or other sounds such as t, k) can be dropped):
Lasnud = lasknud
Old = olnud
Olnd = olnud
Osnud = ostnud
Pold = polnud
Rääkind = rääkinud
Käind = käinud
Läind = läinud
Tahnud = tahtnud
Tulnd = tulnud

Adverbs
Adverbs, especially those ending in -lt, often get shortened:
Aint = ainult
Kinlasti = kindlasti
Lissalt = lihtsalt
Lissat = lihtsalt
Prakselt = praktiliselt
Tõenäst = tõenäoliselt
Tegelt = tegelikult

Ea and ää
Ea can become ää (this is also a common change in the southern dialects, and, for some words, acceptable even in written language). Ae and äe also sometimes change to ää, and in fast speech sometimes e sounds like ä:
Hää = hea
Kääs = käes
Lähäb = läheb
Nääd = näed
Präägu = praegu
Pää = pea
Pääl = peal
Pääv = päev
Sääl = seal
Vähä = vähe

Diphthongs
Some other diphthongs are changed into single (long or short) vowels; usually this means that the second vowel sound disappears:
Sel = seal
Pel = peal
Peb = peab
Lääb = läheb
Kääb = käib
Vä = või
Kõge = kõige
Ku = kui
Kudas = kuidas
Kudagi = kuidagi
Kule = kuule
Mudugi = muidugi
Nääteks = näiteks
Teene = teine
Öölda = öelda
Võõbolla = võib-olla
Tõõsti = tõesti

Just one sound
Some common words are shortened in fast speech so that they sound like a single sound (vowel or consonant):
a = aga
e = ei
i = ei
m = ma
n = on

Common words and phrases
Some common phrases run together as if they are a single word, and some common words are shortened:
A = aga
Maitia = ma ei tea
Mitteriti = mitte eriti
Mitterilist = mitte erilist
Nongi = nii ongi
Sedet = seda, et
Taegaa = head aega
Trommikust = tere hommikust
Trõhtust = tere õhtust

Negative sentences, and some Tammsaare (eitussõnad)

12/26/2015

Estonian has a wide variety of words to use when making a statement negative. These words may or may not be accompanied by the actual word for "no" (ei). In other words, if you do not know these words, it can be difficult to tell the difference between a positive statement in Estonian and a negative one... they are not words to be ignored, because they literally change the meaning of a sentence to its opposite.
Examples given below come from book one of A. H. Tammsaare's five-part epic, "Tõde ja õigus".

ei

pole

mitte

ega

ära,
ärge

eba-

teps

alles

Ei means "no". Unlike some of the other Finnic languages, Estonian does not conjugate this word; it's always ei.
Examples:
Sinu raha ma ei taha. = I don't want your money.
Töö on töö, leib on leib, ei põlga ühte ega teist. = Work is work and bread is bread; I don't sneer at either one.
Seda mulda ei kaeva keegi ei päiva- ega aastapalgaga. = This earth was not simply shoveled for a day's pay or a year's pay.

Pole means the same as ei ole; in other words, "it isn't", "it's not", or "they aren't". Etymologically, it comes from the phrase ep ole, where ep is an older conjugated form of ei (third person singular).
Examples:
See pole naiste töö lehma soost välja vedada. = Pulling a cow out of the marsh isn't women's work.
Kivi, mille põllult korjad või mööda lauda vankrile veeretead, polegi nagu kivi. = The stones he scooped from the field and rolled onto planks in the wagon were no ordinary stones.

Mitte means "not", "non", or "not one". Etymologically, it is related to the word mis ("what").
Examples:
Kehalt kõhnavõitu, mitte pikk. = He was on the skinny side, not tall.
Aga nagu mees mehega, mitte nagu saunamees peremehega. = Just man to man, not cottager against master.

Ega means "nor", "not either" or "not also"; in other words, it is the negative form of the word "and" or "also" (samuti mitte; ja ei).
Ega loom rumal ole, küll ta teab, kuhu ta läheb. = Animals aren't stupid - they know where to go. (This is a great example, because ega is used here on its own; it's the only indication that the sentence is negative.) A more literally translation might have said "And animals aren't stupid..."
Need ei anna ju piima ega võid. = They don't give milk or butter. In this example, and in the following examples, ega is used along with ei.
Töö on töö, leib on leib, ei põlga ühte ega teist. = Work is work and bread is bread; I don't sneer at either one.
Seda mulda ei kaeva keegi ei päiva- ega aastapalgaga. = This earth was not simply shoveled for a day's pay or a year's pay.

Ära is used to give a negative command in the sina-form. If you are using the teie-form, it changes to Ärge.  Both words mean "don't."
Examples:
Võia võid peale, ära paljalt söö, pühade aeg. = Put some butter on it, don't eat it plain - this is a holiday.
"Ärge talle haiget tehke," palus perenaine tagant järele. = "Don't hurt her," the mistress pleaded as they left.
"Ää ole nii ebausklik," manitses Andres. = "Don't be so superstitious," Andres warned. (Ää  is an older, very colloquial form. In regular speech or writing this would normally be "Ära ole nii ebausklik," manitses Andres.)

Eba is a prefix which is used in much the same way as the prefixes "un-", "dis-", or "ab-" in English. It makes the root word negative, or forms an opposite.
Examples:
"Mitte ammu, mõne päeva eest," vastas Mari ebamääraselt. = Not long ago. A few days," anwered Mari evasively.
"Ää ole nii ebausklik," manitses Andres. = "Don't be so superstitious," Andres warned.
In both of these examples, the prefix eba- reverses the meaning of the previous word (määraselt, usklik). Other examples for eba, which show the negative form more clearly, include ebareaalne (unreal) and ebanormaalne (abnormal). Note that ebausk means "superstition" (the opposite of usk "faith, religion"), while umbusk means "disbelief" (the opposite of usk "belief".

Teps means "not at all"; it is usually used along with other negative words. It comes from an older phrase, mitte eps, although (as with pole from ep ole) the original phrase has disappeared completely; in modern language a common phrase is teps mitte.
Examples:
Ja meie ei või teile teps midagi teha, et oleks teile õieti tehtud. = And there's nothing we can do to you, which is only right.
Sina ei pea mitte hunti paluma, vaid valvake ja paluge, et teps ei tuleks kiusatus. = Do not pray to the wolf, but guard your son to keep him from temptation. (Here the word teps isn't even translated, but it adds emphasis: "no temptation at all".

Alles has various meanings, including "yet," "only", and "still". It is therefore not technically a negative word, but it is included in this list because, even when it has a positive meaning in Estonian (as it does in the examples from Tammsaare below), it can sometimes require a negative statement in the English translation.
Examples:
Alles nüüd katsuti lehma jalule ajada. = Only then did they try to shove the cow up onto her feet. Literally, it means "not until now did they try to drive the cow to her feet". [Implied: they didn't try before that.]
Soo on ju alles külm. = The marsh is still cold. [Implied: it won't be cold in the future.]
Oled alles noorukene. = You're still young. [Implied: you won't be young in the future.]
The examples from Tammsaare above do not fully show how alles can be used with a negative meaning; a better example might be Suvesoe tuleb alles mai lõpust, "warm summer weather won't come until the end of May" or "warm summer weather comes only at the end of May and not before." Alles mai doens't mean "until May"; it means "not until May" or "not before May". Avatud alles kell 14.00 doesn't mean "open until two o'clock", it means "not open until two o'clock", in other words "closed until two o'clock"; this is where it's helpful to recognize the "negative" translation of alles. (When discussing times, it can help to think of it as a synonym for alates: "starting from").

Sources (allikad):
Eesti etümoloogiasõnaraamat; Tõde ja õigus I by A. H. Tammsaare (1974 edition); and Truth and Justice: Andres and Pearu, translated by Inna Feldback and Alan Peter Trei (2015 edition).

Käeosad (hands and their parts)

12/16/2015

Vocabulary for describing hands:

Move the cursor over the image to see the words! Viige hiirekursori pildi peale sõnade nägemiseks!

The words are listed below in the nominative (nimetav), genitive (omastav) and partitive (osastav) singular cases.

Hand (singular)
Hand (plural)

Arm (singular)
Arm (plural)
Forearm
Upper arm
Elbow

Finger (singular)
Fingers (plural)
Thumb
Index finger
Middle finger
Ring finger
Little finger / pinky

Palm
Wrist
Knuckle
Fingernail

Käsi / Labakäsi
Käed / Labakäed

Käsi / Käsivars
Käed / Käsivarred
Küünarvars
Õlavars
Küünarnukk

Sõrm
Sõrmed
Pöial
Esimene sõrm
Keskmine sõrm
Nimetu sõrm
Väike sõrm

Peopesa
Ranne
Sõrmenukk
Küüs

Käe /Labakäe
Käte / Labakäte

Käe / Käsivarre
Käte / Käsivarte
Küünarvarre
Õlavarre
Küünarnuki

Sõrme
Sõrmede
Pöidla
Esimese sõrme
Keskmise sõrme
Nimetu sõrme
Väikese sõrme

Peopesa
Randme
Sõrmenuki
Küüne

Kätt / Labakätt
Käsi / Labakäsi

Kätt / Käsivart
Käsi / Käsivarsi
Küünarvart
Õlavart
Küünarnukki

Sõrme
Sõrmi / Sõrmesid
Pöialt
Esimest sõrme
Keskmist sõrme
Nimetut sõrme
Väikest sõrme

Peopesa
Rannet
Sõrmenukki
Küünt

Image source (pildi allikas): Wikimedia Commons and interactive vocabulary made with Thinglink.

Note: the word käsi means both "hand" and "arm". If you want to refer to the hand specifically, you can say labakäsi; to refer to the arm specifically, you can say käsivars. The arm between the hand and elbow can be called küünarvars (forearm); the arm between the elbow and shoulder is õlavars (upper arm). "Elbow"is küünarnukk. The general word käsi works just fine for all parts of the hand and arm when you don't need to be that specific.
There is also an older synonym for käsi, käbar (plural käbarad), which is sometimes used in place of käsi, particularly in colloquial speech and older expressions. Like käsi, it means both "hand" and "arm".

Põhisõnu Köögist (Keywords from the Kitchen)

11/12/2015

Basic vocabulary for things in the kitchen:

Move the cursor over the image to see the words! Viige hiirekursori pildi peale sõnade nägemiseks!

The words are listed below in the nominative (nimetav), genitive (omastav) and partitive (osastav) cases.

Kitchen
Window
Curtain
Plant
Kitchen cabinet
Drawer
Sink
Faucet
Microwave
Oven
Stove
Container
Dishwasher
Dishtowel
Napkin
Light switch
Electrical outlet
Floor

Köök
Aken
Kardin
Taim
Köögikapp
Sahtel
Kraanikauss
Kraan
Mikrolaineahi
Ahi
Pliit
Tops
Nõudepesumasin
Nõuderätik
Salvrätik
Lüliti
Pistikupesa
Põrand

Köögi
Akna
Kardina
Taime
Köögikapi
Sahtli
Kraanikausi
Kraani
Mikrolaineahju
Ahju
Pliidi
Topsi
Nõudepesumasina
Nõuderätiku
Salvrätiku
Lüliti
Pistikupesa
Põranda

Kööki
Akent
Kardinat
Taime
Köögikappi
Sahtlit
Kraanikaussi
Kraani
Mikrolaineahju
Ahju
Pliiti
Topsi
Nõudepesumasinat
Nõuderätikut
Salvrätikut
Lülitit
Pistikupesa
Põrandat

Image source (pildi allikas): Wikimedia Commons and interactive vocabulary made with Thinglink.

Kaheksa ilmakaart, 2. osa: the eight directions, part 2

11/10/2015

Yesterday I wrote about the words for the eight directions used in Estonian and related Finnic languages. An interesting aspect of these words is that although all of the Finnic languages have them, there are many words for which the meaning has shifted by forty-five degrees in some of the languages. This is believed to be due to differing weather conditions in different regions around the Baltic Sea; wind and other weather conditions were used to determine direction rather than the stars. (Some of the Karelian words still include the word for "wind", tuuli, along with the direction: pohjatuuli, lounaštuuli.)

Estonian and Finnish directions / eesti ja soome ilmakaared. Image source (pildi allikas): Jimpaz via Wikimedia Commons.

South and Southwest in Estonian and Finnish / Lõuna ja Edel eesti ja soome keeles

All of the Finnic languages have in common related words for "north":
Estonian (standard and most dialects, including Võru): põhi
   Votic: põhja
Finnish: pohjoinen
Ingrian: pohja
Ludic: pohď
Livonian: pūoj
Veps: pohjoine
Viena Karelian: pohjoine
South Karelian: pohjońi
Tver Karelian: pohjatuuli
Aunuse Karelian: pohďaine

Estonian's word for "northeast," kirre, is rather unique, shared only with Ingrian and Votic. The other Finnic languages have words for "northeast" as well, but they aren't etymologically related to Estonian's word kirre.
Estonian (standard, but not some of the dialects): kirre
  Ingrian: kirre
  Votic: cirre
The Finnish word is koillinen, related to Viena Karelian's koilińi, South Karelian's koiľľińi, and Aunuse Karelian's koiľľińe.

Estonian's word for "east," ida, is shared by many other Finnic languages. However, it some of these other languages its meaning is "northeast" rather than "east".
Estonian (standard, but not some of the dialects): ida, meaning: east
Estonian (Lüganuse dialect): ida, meaning: northeast
Estonian (Kihnu dialect): idä, meaning: northeast
Votic: itä, meaning: east
Finnish: itä, meaning: east
Ingrian: itä, meaning: east
Livonian: idā,  meaning: northeast

The Estonian word for "southeast," kagu, is shared by only a few of the Finnic languages, and means "southeast" in all of them (no meaning shifts here):
Estonian (standard and some of the dialects): kagu
Estonian (Lüganuse dialect): kakko
Votic: kaako
Ingrian: kaakkoi
Finnish: kaakko

The Estonian word for "south," lõuna, has many shifts in meaning; in some Finnic languages it means "south," in others "southeast," and in others "southwest":
Estonian (standard, but not some of the dialects): lõuna, meaning: south
Estonian (Lüganuse dialect): lõunet, meaning: south
Estonian (Kihnu dialect): lõona, meaning: southeast
Võru: lõunõq, meaning: south
Votic: lõunaz, meaning: south
Finnish: lounas, meaning: southwest
Ingrian: lounaz, meaning: south
Livonian: lȭnag,  meaning: southeast
Viena Karelian: lounaštuuli, meaning: southwest
South Karelian: lounaštuuli, meaning: southwest
Tver Karelian: louna, meaning: southwest
Aunuse Karelian: lounaine , meaning: southwest

The Estonian word for "southwest," edel, means either "south" or "southwest" in other Finnic languages:
Estonian (standard, but not some of the dialects): edel, meaning: southwest
Estonian (Lüganuse dialect): ädal, meaning: southwest
Estonian (Kihnu dialect): edäl, meaning: south
Votic: etelä, meaning: southwest
Finnish: etelä, meaning: south
Ingrian: etteelä, meaning: southwest
Livonian: jedāl,  meaning: south
Veps: ehtbok, meaning southwest

The Estonian word for "west," lääs, similarly means either "west" or "southwest" in other Finnic languages:
Estonian (standard, but not some of the dialects): lääs, meaning: west
Estonian (Lüganuse dialect): läns, meaning: west
Estonian (Kihnu dialect): liäs, meaning both south and southwest
   Estonian (Muhu dialect): leas, meaning southwest
Votic:  länsi, meaning: west
Finnish: länsi, meaning: west
Ingrian:  läns, meaning: west
Livonian: lēņtš,  meaning: southwest

Last but not least, Estonian's word for "northwest", loe, means either "west," "northwest", or, in some cases, both:
Estonian (standard, but not some of the dialects): loe, meaning: northwest
Estonian (Lüganuse dialect): loode*, meaning: northwest
Estonian (Kihnu dialect): luõdõ, meaning: northwest
Võru: loodõh, meaning: northwest
Votic:  looõ, meaning: northwest
Finnish: luode, meaning: northwest
Ingrian:  looe, meaning: northwest
Ludic: luodeh, meaning west
Livonian: lūod,  meaning: northwest
Veps: lodeh, meaning both west and northwest
Viena Karelian: luoteh, meaning both west and northwest
South Karelian: luodeh, meaning west, and luueh, meaning northwest
Aunuse Karelian: luodeh, meaning both west and northwest

Sources (allikad):
Eesti etümoloogiasõnaraamat
Väike murdesõnastik
Eesti murrete sõnaraamat
UIT Sátnegirjjit and related sites Netidigisõnad and Nettidigisanat
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Image source (pildi allikas): Jimpaz via Wikimedia Commons.

Kaheksa ilmakaart, 1. osa: the eight directions, part 1

11/9/2015

Most languages have words for the four cardinal directions (north, east, south west), and use these words in compounds to create the four inter-cardinal directions (northeast, northwest, southwest, southeast). Languages which have eight distinct and unrelated words for both sets of directions are few and far between. Estonian is one of those few that does.

Many of the other languages that do have eight distinct words for the directions are related to Estonian: Finnish, Ingrian, Karelian, Livonian, Ludic, Veps, and Votic. In addition to the Finnic languages, Breton and Sanskrit also have eight unrelated words for the eight directions. (Interestingly, the Breton word for "south", kreisteiz, also means "noon," just as the Estonian word for south lõuna does.)

Indonesian and Malaysian have a specific word for southeast, tenggara, but use the words for east (timur) and west (barat) in the words for southwest, northwest, and northeast (barat daya, barat laut, and timur laut).

Most other languages of the world simply combine the words for the four cardinal directions to create the other four directions between them, like English does.
English: northeast, southeast, southwest, northwest.
Spanish: noreste, sureste, suroeste, noroeste.
French: nord-est, sud-est, sud-ouest, nord-ouest.
German: Nordosten, Südosten, Südwesten, Nordwesten.
Swedish: nordost, sydost, sydväst, nordväst.
Russian: северо-восток, юго-восток, юго-запад, северо-запад.
Chinese: 东北，东南，西南，西北.
Estonian: kirre, kagu, edel, loe.
Finnish: koillinen, kaakko, lounas, luode.

compass directions: Estonian and Finnish / ilmakaared: eesti ja soome.
Image source (pildi allikas): Jimpaz via Wikimedia Commons.

The eight directions in Estonian are: põhi (north), kirre (northeast), ida (east), kagu (southeast), lõuna, (south), edel (southwest), lääs (west), and loe (northwest).

Several of these words (notably kirre, lääs, and loe) have significant changes in other case forms, so I will list the relevant forms below.

North:
nimetav ainsus (nominative singular): põhi
omastav ainsus (genitive singular): põhja
osastav ainsus (partitive singular):   põhja
osastav mitmus (partitive plural):   põhju / põhjasid

Northeast:
nimetav ainsus (nominative singular):  kirre
omastav ainsus (genitive singular): kirde
osastav ainsus (partitive singular):   kirret
osastav mitmus (partitive plural):   kirdeid

East:
nimetav ainsus (nominative singular):  ida
omastav ainsus (genitive singular): ida
osastav ainsus (partitive singular): ida
osastav mitmus (partitive plural):   idasid

Southeast:
nimetav ainsus (nominative singular):  kagu
omastav ainsus (genitive singular): kagu
osastav ainsus (partitive singular):   kagu
osastav mitmus (partitive plural):   kagusid

South:
nimetav ainsus (nominative singular):  lõuna
omastav ainsus (genitive singular): lõuna
osastav ainsus (partitive singular): lõunat
osastav mitmus (partitive plural):   lõunaid

Southwest:
nimetav ainsus (nominative singular):  edel
omastav ainsus (genitive singular): edela
osastav ainsus (partitive singular): edelat
osastav mitmus (partitive plural):   edelaid

West:
nimetav ainsus (nominative singular): lääs
omastav ainsus (genitive singular): lääne
osastav ainsus (partitive singular):   läänt
osastav mitmus (partitive plural):   lääsi

Northwest:
nimetav ainsus (nominative singular):  loe
omastav ainsus (genitive singular): loode
osastav ainsus (partitive singular):   loet
osastav mitmus (partitive plural):   loodeid

Põhjast põhjani: all about the word "põhi"

11/8/2015

If Estonians of the past had been the ones to influence international cartography, the maps we use today might have been considered upside down. Putting north at the top of a map and south at the bottom is now universal. But, historically and linguistically, it was the other way around for Estonian-speakers: "north" was associated with "down," not "up".

The word põhi (põhja) means "north" as well the "bottom" of something. In compounds it can also mean "fundamental" or "primary," something which serves as the basis for something. This is true in Finnish as well: pohja means both "bottom" or "base", pohjoinen and pohjois mean "north", and Pohjola means both the "northlands" and, in Finnish mythology, "the Underworld".

Some of the Estonian words and phrases that use põhi and põhja with the meaning of "bottom, base, floor" or "fundamental, base" include:

põhi (põhja) = north, bottom, basis
merepõhi = seafloor
orupõhi = valley floor
põhjavesi = ground water
topeltpõhi = false bottom
põhjani = completely, to the end
põhjast põhjani = thoroughly, from top to bottom
põhjani tungima = to get to the bottom of
põhja jõudma = to bottom out
põhimik = substrate
põhikool = primary school, elementary school
põhiliselt = fundamentally, basically
põhiline = essential, primordial

The world lõuna means "south," and also refers to "midday" or "noon". (Although an argument could be made that this is the time when the sun is highest in the sky, and therefore the opposite of põhi "base, bottom," it's also the time when sun is farthest south in the Northern Hemisphere: the opposite of põhi "north".)

Interestingly, "lounas" in Finnish also means "noon," but in terms of directions it refers to "southwest," not "south"; and in Livonian the cognate "lȭnag" (lõõnag) means "southeast." (More on the eight directions of the Finno-Ugrian world in another post.)

"Noon" or "midday" in modern Estonian is more commonly "keskpäev," but the word lõuna is still commonly found in other words and phrases referring to noontime:

lõuna = south, noon, midday
pärastlõuna = afternoon
pealelõuna = afternoon
enne lõunat = before noon
lõunasöök = lunch, midday meal
lõunat sööma = to eat lunch
lõunastama = to dine, to eat lunch
lõunavaheaeg = lunch break

Sources (allikad): the many dictionaries available at Keeleveeb.ee