Places and Containers
Esperanto Word-Building
Chapter 4 · Places and Containers
🏠 Places and Containers — Lokoj kaj ujoj
Three suffixes name things that hold something: -ej- for places, -uj- for containers and -ing- for holders that grip an object by one end. The last section adds two affectionate endings, -ĉj- and -nj-, used for family words and pet names.
-ej-: a place for something
ReVo defines -ej- as a place defined for something, or characterised by it:
| Word | Parts | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| lernejo | lern + ej + o | school |
| kuirejo | kuir + ej + o | kitchen |
| dormejo | dorm + ej + o | sleeping place |
| oficejo | ofic + ej + o | office |
| malliberejo | mal + liber + ej + o | prison |
| herbejo | herb + ej + o | grassy area |
Notice malliberejo: the prefix mal- from Chapter 2 acts on liber- first (not free), then -ej- makes a place of it.
ReVo adds that the Fundamento restricts the suffix to this "place for" sense. Not every place word is built with it: you say ĝardeno for a garden, which is a root in itself.
-uj-: a container
For a thing that holds objects of the kind named by the root, the suffix is -uj-:
| Word | Parts | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| sukerujo | suker + uj + o | sugar bowl |
| cigarujo | cigar + uj + o | cigar box |
| fridujo | frid + uj + o | refrigerator |
The other two jobs of -uj-
ReVo records two further uses and is cautious about both.
- Fruit trees. A plant bearing the named fruit: pomujo (apple tree), pirujo (pear tree). Because this sense can be confused with the container, ReVo suggests alternatives such as fruktarbo (fruit tree). Compounds with arbo (tree), such as pomarbo (apple tree), are another way round it; Chapter 8 returns to compounds.
- Lands. A land named after its people or language: Francujo, Germanujo, and the imagined land Esperantujo (the world of Esperanto speakers).
For countries, ReVo limits this use to the lands of the ancient civilised world, with several exceptions, and says not to add -uj- to a name that already ends in -lando. In practice, the modern names are mostly formed with -io or -lando: Skotlando (not Skotlandujo).
-ing-: a holder
The suffix -ing- names an object into which another object is partly inserted and held in place, usually by its end. ReVo's examples:
| Word | Parts | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| kandelingo | kandel + ing + o | candlestick |
| plumingo | plum + ing + o | pen holder |
| cigaringo | cigar + ing + o | cigar holder |
Compare cigarujo (a box that holds cigars) with cigaringo (a holder that grips one cigar). The related word ingo also means a sheath or cover, such as a scabbard.
-ĉj- and -nj-: affection
Two endings make pet names. -ĉj- is used for a man, -nj- for a woman, and each attaches to the first syllable or syllables of the name:
| Ending | Family words (ReVo) | Names |
|---|---|---|
| -ĉj- | paĉjo dad, avĉjo grandpa, oĉjo uncle | Peĉjo (from Petro), Joĉjo, Ivaĉjo |
| -nj- | panjo mum, avinjo granny, onjo aunt | Manjo (from Marion), Klanjo (from Klara), Sonjo (from Sofio) |
The pet names cut the original word short: patro becomes paĉjo, not patroĉjo. Use them only for people you can be affectionate with.
📖 A Short Text — Mallonga teksto
Find the suffixes and say what each one adds.
Mia familio
Show a translation
My dad works in an office next to the school. My mum likes to cook in the kitchen and to put sugar from the sugar bowl into the tea.
✏️ Try It Yourself — Ekzercoj
Say the answer first, then click to check.
1. Build the word for: a place where one sleeps; a place where one cooks; a place where one learns.
Show answer
dormejo, kuirejo, lernejo.
2. Take apart malliberejo in the order the pieces act.
Show answer
liber (free), malliber (not free), malliberej (a place of captivity), plus -o: a prison.
3. What is the difference between kuirejo and sukerujo?
Show answer
-ej- marks a place (a room), while -uj- marks a container (an object that holds things).
4. Which is a box that holds cigars, and which grips one: cigarujo or cigaringo?
Show answer
cigarujo is the box; cigaringo is the holder that grips one cigar.
5. Why does ReVo suggest fruktarbo rather than pomujo for a fruit tree in some contexts?
Show answer
Because -uj- for a plant can be confused with -uj- for a container: pomujo could be taken as an apple container.
6. Why is Skotlando not written Skotlandujo?
Show answer
ReVo says not to add -uj- to a name that already ends in -lando.
7. What does Esperantujo mean?
Show answer
The imagined land of Esperanto speakers: the whole community, wherever its members live.
8. Give the pet names for: patro (father), patrino (mother), avo (grandfather), onklo (uncle).
Show answer
paĉjo, panjo, avĉjo, oĉjo.
9. Why is paĉjo not built as patro + -ĉj-?
Show answer
ReVo says -ĉj- attaches to the first syllable or syllables of the word, which are cut short: pa- + -ĉj- + -o. The same goes for Peĉjo from Petro.
10. Write one sentence about a room in your home and a container you keep in it.
Show answer
One possibility: En la kuirejo mi havas grandan sukerujon. (In the kitchen I have a big sugar bowl.)
Words used in this chapter
lernejo school · kuirejo kitchen · oficejo office · malliberejo prison · sukerujo sugar bowl · fridujo refrigerator · plumingo pen holder · Esperantujo the world of Esperanto · paĉjo dad · panjo mum · kuiri cook · meti put · sukero sugar