When to say 'mikä' and 'mitä' in Finnish

These two question words are often mixed. They both mean what. 

• Mikä is the basic form.
• Mitä is the partitive form. 

This is a bit confusing for me too, so I'll keep updating this post as I learn more. :)

Mikä is used when you assume that the answer is a one countable thing.

• Mikä tämä on? Lautanen. - What is this? A plate. 
• Mikä sun puhelinnumero on? - What's your phone number?
• Mikä sun osoite on? - What's your address?
• Mikä sun kysymys oli? - What was your question?

Mikä can also be used with other verbs, if it refers to the subject of the sentence: 

• Mikä bussi menee keskustaan? - Which bus goes to downtown?
• Mikä lippu voi maksaa noin paljon? - Which ticket can cost so much?

Mikä is also used with many feeling verbs: 

• Mikä sinua ärsyttää? - What's annoying you?
• Mikä teitä naurattaa? - What's making you laugh?

Use mitä when you are asking about an uncountable food item, liquid, weird sticky goo (mömmö) on the floor etc, or when the verb is a partitive verb, or there is another reason to use partitive.

• Mitä tämä on? - What is this? Mehua. - Juice. 
• Mitä ruokaa sinä inhoat? - Which food do you hate? Maksalaatikkoa. - Liver casserole.
• Mitä kirjaa te luette lukupiirissä? - What book are you reading in the book club? Yösyöttöä. - Yösyöttö.
• Mitä sä syöt? - What are you eating?
• Mitä sä opiskelet? - What do you study?
• Mitä kieliä sä puhut? - Which languages do you speak? (Yay! The plural partitive of mikä is the same as the singular partitive.)

Notice these:

• Mitä sulla on? - What do you have?
• Mikä sulla on? - What do you have? as in What's wrong with you?
• Mikä kello on? - What is a clock?
• Mitä kello on? - What time it is?

 Mitä? Siinä kaikki? - What? That's all? Now you can review the other common question words.:)

About the author of this blog: 

My name is Hanna Männikkölahti. I am a professional Finnish teacher who gives private online lessons and simplifies books into easy Finnish. Please read more in www.linktr.ee/hannamannikkolahti and follow this blog, if you want to be the first one to know when I post something new.