# kasvot in singular?



## akana

I was wondering if there would ever be an instance in which you would use the word _kasvot_ in the singular case...when referring to only one side of the face, for instance. 

Would the following sound correct?
_Mies löi häntä vasempaan kasvoon.
Hänen vasenta kasvoa on vakavasti poltettu._

I also know that phrases like _panna kengät jalkaan_, for example, are common where _jalkoihin_ would seem more logical, and so was also wondering if any such examples would apply to _kasvot_.

Kiitos avusta!


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## Hakro

akana said:


> I was wondering if there would ever be an instance in which you would use the word _kasvot_ in the singular case...when referring to only one side of the face, for instance.
> 
> Would the following sound correct?
> _Mies löi häntä vasempaan kasvoon.
> Hänen vasenta kasvoa on vakavasti poltettu._


No, you can't use _kasvo_ in singular in this way.

I think the only possibility to use _kasvo_ in singular is when speaking colloquially about a person, a type, a face, especially a new one or a strange one:

- Tämä N.N. on uusi kasvo televisiossa.
- Olipa siinä kumma kasvo tähän tilaisuuteen!

These are expressions that I have heard. Maybe other Finns have heard different phrases.


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## sakvaka

Besides, if compounds are created from _pluralia tantum_ words, the latter part is always in singular.

_puukasvo_ etc.

Mind you, these examples are quite artificial but... they are examples as well.


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## Hakro

sakvaka said:


> Besides, if compounds are created from _pluralia tantum_ words, the latter part is always in singular.
> 
> _puukasvo_ etc.
> 
> Mind you, these examples are quite artificial but... they are examples as well.


_Puukasvo_ sounds quite artificial to me. Instead, _puunaama_ is very common, for example: _Puunaamaan tottunut siivooja saa paikan_.

_Uusi kasvo_ gives nearly 40,000 hits, _outo kasvo_ 130 hits. No hits for _kumma kasvo_ but I remember a friend of mine saying exactly _"Olipa siinä kumma kasvo tähän tilaisuuteen!"_

I mean I didn't make up my examples.


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## sakvaka

_Puukasvo_ was indeed a bad example. _Kivikasvo_ is more common and way less artificial, don't you think? It means a person who doesn't express his emotions facially.


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## Hakro

sakvaka said:


> _Puukasvo_ was indeed a bad example. _Kivikasvo_ is more common and way less artificial, don't you think? It means a person who doesn't express his emotions facially.


_Kivikasvo_(t) is mostly known as the name of a singers' group. Colloquially speaking we mostly say _pokerinaama_ (poker face), don't we?


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