kauan

• kauvan (dialectal)

Instructive singular case of the root kauko- (“far”). Cognate to Ingrian kavvan (“for a long time”), Estonian kaua (“for a long time”), Votic kauga (“for a long time”).

• IPA^(key): /ˈkɑu̯.ɑn/, [ˈkɑ̝u̯.ɑ̝n]
• Rhymes: -ɑuɑn
• Syllabification^(key): kau‧an

kauan (comparative kauemmin, superlative kauimmin)

1. (for) a long time

   kauan sitten ― long ago

   Olen tuntenut hänet kauan.

   I have known him for a long time.

kauan can be used in both affirmative and negative sentences, although a separate form kauaa exists for negative sentences as well.

• “kauan”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎^[1] (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 2023-07-02

• kauna