pohja

From Proto-Finnic *pohja (compare Estonian põhi). Doublet of posio, which is a borrowing from Sami.

The sense "north" is due to the practice of building dwellings facing south (as that was the direction the sun would shine from at noon in Northern Europe), and thus the far end of a building furthest from the entrance would be situated towards the north.

• IPA^(key): /ˈpohjɑ/, [ˈpo̞xjɑ̝]
• Rhymes: -ohjɑ
• Syllabification^(key): poh‧ja

pohja

1. bottom (lowest part of anything, especially of a container)
2. bed (place, or flat surface or layer, on which something else rests or is laid)
3. (figuratively) basis, foundation

   Synonyms: perusta, pohjusta

4. (figuratively) fundament (underlying basis or principle)
5. crust (outer layer composed of pastry; bread-like base of a pizza)
6. (chiefly in expressions) Synonym of perä (“far end of something”)
7. background, backdrop (especially in relation to shapes that stand out of the background)

   Synonym: tausta

   musta kuvio valkoisella pohjalla ― a black shape on a white background

8. layout (spatial arrangement of a building or flat)
9. (in compounds) template, layout (generic model or pattern from which other objects are based or derived, especially texts)

   sähköpostipohja ― email template

10. (archaic, poetic) north, northern, Arctic (sometimes capitalized)

    Pohjantähti ― North Star

    Pohjanlahti ― Gulf of Bothnia

    pohjanlepakko ― northern bat

    pohjan poika ― a son of the north

    pohjanharjus ― Arctic grayling

• (north): pohjola

• posio

• Álgu database pohja
• Álgu database boašˈšo
• Álgu database *pošja

• “pohja”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja‎^[1] (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 2023-07-03

From Proto-Finnic *pohja. Cognates include Finnish pohja and Estonian põhi.

• (Ala-Laukaa) IPA^(key): /ˈpohjɑ/, [ˈpo̞hi]
• (Soikkola) IPA^(key): /ˈpohjɑ/, [ˈpo̞hjɑ]
• Rhymes: -ohj, -ohjɑ
• Hyphenation: poh‧ja

pohja

1. bottom
   • 1937, V. A. Tetjurev, translated by N. J. Molotsova, Loonnontiito oppikirja alkușkoulua vart (toin osa), Leningrad: Riikin Ucebno-Pedagogiceskoi Izdateljstva, page 29:

     Meren pohjaas veel elläät erittee käppiät meritähet.

     On the bottom of the sea also live exceptionally beautiful starfishes.

2. north
3. Short for sananpohja.
   • 1936, V. I. Junus, Iƶoran Keelen Grammatikka‎^[2], Leningrad: Riikin Ucebno-pedagogiceskoi Izdateljstva, page 39:

     Se liitetää ei yksikön nominativan loppuu, a genetivast saautettavan sanan pohjan otsaa.

     It is joined not to the ending of the singular ending, but to the end of the stem of the word obtained from the genitive.

• (bottom): pohjus
• (north): pohjain

• Ruben E. Nirvi (1971) Inkeroismurteiden Sanakirja, Helsinki: Suomalais-Ugrilainen Seura, page 418