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Derivation

In Finnish, derivation is a typical way of word formation. When other languages has numerous words, in Finnish they are formed by adding affixes to root. For example:

kirja	book
kirjailija	author/writer
kirjallisuus	literature
kirjasto	library
kirjallinen	literary/written

Do not mix up these affixes with inflections or conjugations. These affixes are used to change aspect or class and to form new words from old ones. It's important to know the common suffixes, because they are essential part of Finnish, and it makes understanding lot easier.

Nouns

la/lä: a place
ruokala (canteen) mummola ('a grandmothers place')

llinen: "full of something"
kourallinen (a handful) lastillinen (a truck-load)

nen: "small thing"
kalanen (a little fish) tyttönen (a little girl)

tAr: femine
kuningatar (queen) laulajatar (a songstress, female singer)

Verbs become nouns

ja:'who does something'
laulaja (a singer) kävelijä (a walker)

Nouns become adjectives

lainen: what kind of, nationality
suomalainen (finnish, a Finn) englantilainen (english, an Englisman) tyhmänlainen (foolish)

llinen: related to something
kuninkaallinen (royal)

mAinen: what kind of
kuitumainen (fibre-like)

Adverbs

ton: without something
painoton (weightless) iloton (cheerless)

isin: habitual
aamuisin (in the morning) maanantaisin (every monday)

sti: adverbs expressing how
kauniisti('in a beautiful way') nopeasti (fast)

Verbs

ista: kausative
kaunistaa (to make beautiful)

istu: refleksive
laiskistua (to become lazy)

skella: frekvetantiivinen istuskella (to sit around)