Karjala
/ˈkɑːr.jɑ.lɑ/noun
The Finnish name for Karelia, a historical region extending across present-day Finland and northwestern Russia.
Did you know?The origin of Karjala is genuinely disputed: scholars have proposed connections with the Finnic word for ‘herd’ or ‘cattle,’ while others treat the name as an older ethnic or place-name whose original meaning was lost.
Etymological Timeline
Early Finnic period
Proto-Finnic
*Karjala
“A reconstructed ancestral form of the regional name; its original meaning remains uncertain.”
12th–13th Century
Old Novgorodian
Корѣла / Korela
“A name used in medieval Rus’ sources for the Karelian people and their territory.”
13th–15th Century
Latin
Carelia / Karelia
“Medieval Latin forms referring to Karelia and the Karelians.”
16th Century
Swedish
Karelen
“Swedish name for Karelia, used in descriptions of the region and its population.”
Modern Finnish
Finnish
Karjala
“Karelia; also associated with the Karelian cultural and linguistic region.”