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mutta.

but (introducing a clause contrary to prior belief or in contrast with the preceding clause or sentence)

5 characters2 syllables approx.Suomi language

Meaning & usage

conj/ˈmutːɑ/[ˈmut̪ːɑ̝]
  1. but (introducing a clause contrary to prior belief or in contrast with the preceding clause or sentence)

    coordinating
    Olisin halunnut lähteä heidän mukaansa, mutta en ehtinyt.
    Hän on nyt työmatkalla mutta palaa huomenna.
  2. but (however/still/at least) (introducing a word or clause in contrast or contradiction with the preceding negative clause or sentence, but in such a way that the preceding clause is not wholly rejected)

    coordinating
    Kirja ei ollut paras lukemani, mutta ihan hyvä.
Where this word comes from

From muu (“other”), either based on: * the partitive singular form (muuta: “something else”; the -uu- would have first been shortened and the final vowel elided, thus mut(t) with reanalysis as mutta, perhaps via a development like ei juokse, muuta [kuin] kävelee (literally “isn't running, [not] other than walking”) > ei juokse, mutta kävelee (literally “isn't running but walking”)), * the abessive singular form (muutta, as if “without something else”, “not to mention something else”), or * from the -tta suffix (like in että, jotta) indicating adverbs of manner (“regarding something else”), but SKRK rejects this. Both the abessive muutta and partitive muuta are also attested as variants of mutta. Compare Ingrian mut, Karelian muuta.

noun/ˈmutːɑ/[ˈmut̪ːɑ̝]
  1. ifs, ands, or buts (in a negative phrase, used like noun only in partitive plural muttia with qualifier mitään) (modifications, limitations, or addenda; qualifications of any kind; speculations about whether a particular idea or enterprise is good, doubts)

    idiomatic · informal
    En halua kuulla mitään muttia!
    Ei mitään muttia!
Where this word comes from

From muu (“other”), either based on: * the partitive singular form (muuta: “something else”; the -uu- would have first been shortened and the final vowel elided, thus mut(t) with reanalysis as mutta, perhaps via a development like ei juokse, muuta [kuin] kävelee (literally “isn't running, [not] other than walking”) > ei juokse, mutta kävelee (literally “isn't running but walking”)), * the abessive singular form (muutta, as if “without something else”, “not to mention something else”), or * from the -tta suffix (like in että, jotta) indicating adverbs of manner (“regarding something else”), but SKRK rejects this. Both the abessive muutta and partitive muuta are also attested as variants of mutta. Compare Ingrian mut, Karelian muuta.

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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.

Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.