SUBSTANTIVES.
I. The following suffixes are used to form substantives from verbs.
-ja. A factitive suffix, that is to say, denoting the doer of the action denoted by the root. Luoja, the creator (luo, to create). Kalastaja, a fisherman. When a root ends in e this letter is generally changed to i before the suffix -ja. Teke, to make, tekijä, a maker; luke, to read, lukija, a reader. This suffix is also found in the forms -jame (nominative -jan or -jain), -jaise (-jainen), -jaa.
-ri has the same meaning as -ja: mylläri, a miller, juomari, a drunkard, petturi, a deceiver. (This is really a foreign termination from the Swedish -re.)
-ma (the termination of the third infinitive) expresses an action or the result of an action. Sanoma, report (“a speaking”), elämä, life, kuolema, death.
-mise (nominative minen, the termination of the fourth infinitive) expresses a continuous action, or an action in an abstract sense. Laulaminen, singing, eläminen, living.
-nto, -nta (chiefly poetical), -nti (added to monosyllabic roots) express an action or a state arising from an action. Luonto, nature (from luo, to create), uskonto, religion (“believing,” from uskoa, to believe), tuonti, bringing to, or importation, vienti, bringing away from, or exportation, laulanta, singing.
o (ö) and u (y) (before which the last vowel of the root is rejected) form abstract nouns denoting action. Muisto, memory, makso, payment, tulo, arrival, lähtö, departure, luku, reading, itku, weeping, maksu, payment.
-okse or -ukse (nominative -os or -us) also form abstract nouns expressing an action, and are specially added to trisyllabic verbs ending in -ta. Valmistus, preparation, harjoitus, practice, vastaus, answer. The same suffix is sometimes found in combination with -ma (-ma + ukse = mukse) juopumus, drunkenness.