this post was submitted on 25 Oct 2024
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Science Memes

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SPOOPY TARDIGRADE (mander.xyz)
submitted 3 weeks ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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[–] [email protected] 8 points 3 weeks ago (3 children)

Fun fact, those are called "karhukainen" in Finnish. A direct (but loose) translation would be "bearly", "bearlike" or something else bear related.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

In English too, the colloquial name for tardigrades is "water bears" :D

[–] Ziglin 3 points 3 weeks ago

German is "Bärtierchen". Which is a cute version of bear animal.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (1 children)

Very loose. The finnish equivalent for those words would be "karhumainen". I'm not sure there is a single-word translation for the "-kainen" suffix.

It doesn't really work the same way "-mainen" does, it's similar, but results in a word that has a more definite meaning.

"Lapsimainen" would mean childlike or childish, while "lapsukainen" only ever refers to an actual child in an endeared way (or if used to describe an adult, would be like saying "my sweet summer child" in english).

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

The Finnish suffix "-kainen" is used to create nouns that refer to things or beings associated with a particular quality or characteristic. Even though we don't necessarily mentally associate it with a similar meaning as "-mainen", it still is. Hence the translation of "bearlike" is close enough.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

Close enough, but not closest. I would say "Bearie" is closer. You wouldn't call an actual bear "bearlike" but you might name it "Bearie".

I didn't say "mainen" and "kainen" are dissimilar, but they ARE different. By about the same amount as the difference between doglike/doggy and doggie.