# sisu
## English
### Etymology

Borrowed from Finnish sisu, documented in English since at least 1940.

### Pronunciation

* (General Australian) IPA: /ˈsɪsʉː/

### Noun

sisu (uncountable)
* Strength of will in the face of adversity; grit; perseverance; regarded as an integral part of Finnish culture.
** 1940 January 8, “Northern Theatre:Sisu”, in Time Magazine:Last week the Finns gave the world a good example of sisu by carrying the war into Russian territory on one front while on another they withstood merciless attacks by a reinforced Russian Army.
** 1999, Norma J. Livo, George O. Livo, The Enchanted Wood and Other Tales from Finland, →ISBN, page 5:People living in northern climates need plenty of sisu.
** 2016, Angela Duckworth, Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance, →ISBN:We agreed there was a pressing need for a systematic investigation of sisu, how Finns think about it, how it is propagated.
** 2016, Katie Falkowski, GRIND: Greatness Rises in Each New Day: Get up, Show up, and Grind, →ISBN:Life requires all of us to have a certain level of sisu when things get tough, which they inevitably will.

### See also

* sumud (similar Palestinian concept)

### References

* https://web.archive.org/web/20111223131533/http://www.finlandia.edu/
* http://www.sisugrp.com/sisuis.htm

### Anagrams

* Sius

## Estonian
### Etymology

From sise- +‎ -u. Cognate with Finnish sisu.

### Noun

sisu (genitive sisu, partitive sisu)
* content, something that is inside

#### Derived terms

* sisustus
* sisukas

## Finnish
### Etymology

From sisä- (“inner”) +‎ -u. Originally referred to one's physical interior (compare sisus, sisusta), hence the meaning 'core; spirit' and thus 'courage, determination'. Compare Estonian sisu (“content”) and the development of English guts.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈsisu/, [ˈs̠is̠u]
* Rhymes: -isu
* Hyphenation: si‧su

### Noun

sisu
* perseverance, doggedness, stubbornness, grit, stamina, spunk, determination, courage, guts (unwavering strength to keep going when the going gets tough)
    Voimamme olivat aivan lopussa, mutta jatkoimme pelkällä sisulla.We were completely exhausted but continued out of pure determination / to spite fate.
    Hänellä on paljon sisua. Luulen, että hän jaksaa siksi juosta pitkään.He has a lot of stamina. I suppose that is why he can run for a long time.
    Onko sinulla sisua sanoa "ei" pomollesi?Do you have the guts to say "no" to your boss?
* sisu (often with the attribute suomalainen (“Finnish”)) (strength of will in the face of adversity; grit; perseverance; regarded as an integral part of Finnish culture)
** 1967, Jörn Donner, Uusi Maammekirja, Otava, page 54:En tiedä, kuka ja ketkä ovat vastuussa siitä, että Suomen saavutusten uskotaan olevan sisun aikaansaannosta. Sotakorvauksia on pidetty sellaisena, mutta myös 1950—60 -lukujen vaihteessa tapahtunutta teollisuuden laajentumista. Haluan varoittaa sinua: kaikki tämä on pelkkää myyttiä, jolla ei ole mitään tekemistä todellisuuden kanssa. Kestävyys ei ole tässä maassa sen suurempaa kuin muuallakaan.I don't know who is responsible for the idea that all Finnish achievements are believed to be due to the famous Finnish sisu. These have included the payment of war reparations, but also the expansion of industry that took place at the turn 1950s and 1960s. I want to warn you: all this is a mere myth, which has nothing to do with reality. Perseverance isn't any greater in this country than elsewhere.
** 2011, Onni Palaste, Talvisodan ääniä [Voices of the Winter War], WSOY, →ISBN:Kymmenkertaisella jalkaväen ylivoimalla, kymmenkertaisen tykistömäärän tukemana ja 150 hyökkäysvaunun voimalla vihollinen avasi tietä jalkaväelle, vastassaan vain suomalainen sisu.With tenfold superiority in number of troops, backed with a tenfold amount of artillery and with a force of 150 tanks, the enemy opened the passage for its infantry, opposed only by the famous Finnish sisu.
* temper (tendency to be of a certain type of mood, especially of a bad or defiant one)
    Komentelu kävi hänen sisulleen.The bossing tried his temper.
** 1776, Biblia, se on: koko Pyhä Raamattu suomexi [The Bible, i.e. the entire Holy Bible in Finnish], Ensimäinen Samuelin kirja (1 Samuel) 17:28:Minä tiedän ſinun ylpeytes ja ſydämes pahan ſiſunI know thy pride, and the naughtiness of thine heart

#### Declension

Possessive forms of sisu (Kotus type 1/valo, no gradation) :
first-person singular possessor
singular
plural
nominative
sisuni
sisuni
accusative
nom.
sisuni
sisuni
gen.
sisuni
genitive
sisuni
sisujeni
partitive
sisuani
sisujani
inessive
sisussani
sisuissani
elative
sisustani
sisuistani
illative
sisuuni
sisuihini
adessive
sisullani
sisuillani
ablative
sisultani
sisuiltani
allative
sisulleni
sisuilleni
essive
sisunani
sisuinani
translative
sisukseni
sisuikseni
abessive
sisuttani
sisuittani
instructive
comitative
—sisuineni
second-person singular possessor
singular
plural
nominative
sisusi
sisusi
accusative
nom.
sisusi
sisusi
gen.
sisusi
genitive
sisusi
sisujesi
partitive
sisuasi
sisujasi
inessive
sisussasi
sisuissasi
elative
sisustasi
sisuistasi
illative
sisuusi
sisuihisi
adessive
sisullasi
sisuillasi
ablative
sisultasi
sisuiltasi
allative
sisullesi
sisuillesi
essive
sisunasi
sisuinasi
translative
sisuksesi
sisuiksesi
abessive
sisuttasi
sisuittasi
instructive
comitative
—sisuinesi
first-person plural possessor
singular
plural
nominative
sisumme
sisumme
accusative
nom.
sisumme
sisumme
gen.
sisumme
genitive
sisumme
sisujemme
partitive
sisuamme
sisujamme
inessive
sisussamme
sisuissamme
elative
sisustamme
sisuistamme
illative
sisuumme
sisuihimme
adessive
sisullamme
sisuillamme
ablative
sisultamme
sisuiltamme
allative
sisullemme
sisuillemme
essive
sisunamme
sisuinamme
translative
sisuksemme
sisuiksemme
abessive
sisuttamme
sisuittamme
instructive
comitative
—sisuinemme
second-person plural possessor
singular
plural
nominative
sisunne
sisunne
accusative
nom.
sisunne
sisunne
gen.
sisunne
genitive
sisunne
sisujenne
partitive
sisuanne
sisujanne
inessive
sisussanne
sisuissanne
elative
sisustanne
sisuistanne
illative
sisuunne
sisuihinne
adessive
sisullanne
sisuillanne
ablative
sisultanne
sisuiltanne
allative
sisullenne
sisuillenne
essive
sisunanne
sisuinanne
translative
sisuksenne
sisuiksenne
abessive
sisuttanne
sisuittanne
instructive
comitative
—sisuinenne
third-person possessor
singular
plural
nominative
sisunsa
sisunsa
accusative
nom.
sisunsa
sisunsa
gen.
sisunsa
genitive
sisunsa
sisujensa
partitive
sisuaan sisuansa
sisujaan sisujansa
inessive
sisussaan sisussansa
sisuissaan sisuissansa
elative
sisustaan sisustansa
sisuistaan sisuistansa
illative
sisuunsa
sisuihinsa
adessive
sisullaan sisullansa
sisuillaan sisuillansa
ablative
sisultaan sisultansa
sisuiltaan sisuiltansa
allative
sisulleen sisullensa
sisuilleen sisuillensa
essive
sisunaan sisunansa
sisuinaan sisuinansa
translative
sisukseen sisuksensa
sisuikseen sisuiksensa
abessive
sisuttaan sisuttansa
sisuittaan sisuittansa
instructive
comitative
—sisuineen sisuinensa :

#### Synonyms

* (perseverance, doggedness, grit): peräänantamattomuus, lannistumattomuus, sinnikkyys, tahdonvoima

#### Derived terms

* sisuinen
* sisukas
* sisuuntua
* pahansisuinen
* sisukimppu
* sisunnäyte
* sisunpurkaus
* sisupartio
* sisupartiolainen
* sisupussi

### Further reading

* “sisu”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎ (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

### Anagrams

* Susi, suis, susi

## Kavalan
### Etymology

From Proto-Austronesian *susu.

### Noun

sisu
* (anatomy) breast

## Kilivila
### Verb

-sisu-
* to live
* to exist, to be

#### Idioms

* asisu yam
* kusisu, bala

### References

* ↑ Gunter Senft (1986), Kilivila: the Language of the Trobriand Islanders. Berlin • New York • Amsterdam: Mouton de Gruyter, p. 370. →ISBN

## Lala (South Africa)
### Noun

sísu
* belly, stomach

## Phuthi
### Noun

sísu class 7 (plural tísu class 8)
* stomach

#### Inflection

This noun needs an inflection-table template.

## Spanish
### Noun

sisu m
* sissoo

## Swazi
### Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

### Noun

sísu class 7 (plural tísu class 8)
* stomach
* pregnancy

#### Inflection

This noun needs an inflection-table template.