Your country on Earth (maa)

The Finnish word maa has many meanings depending on context:

ground: Kasvi kasvaa maasta”.

“A plant grows from the ground.”

land / country: “Kotimaani on Suomi.”

“My homeland is Finland.”

country(side) “Asun maalla ja olen töissä maatilalla.”

“I live in the countryside and I work on a farm.”

An easy way to remember maa is to think of it as your ma (= “mother Earth”).

In the countryside, there are lot’s of farms = maatila and also agriculture = maatalous (maa + talous = “land economy”).

A person who lives in the countryside is maalainen.

Maisema is landscape : “Maaseudulla on paljon kauniita maisemia.” / “There are lot’s of beautiful scenerys in the countryside”.

If you put together maa and ilma (=air) you have the whole world, so maailma = world.

Also, if you’re close to the ground, you’re lying down – that’s why the verb maata means to lie down.
(Maybe not the true etymology, but a fun way to remember!)

“Maalainen makaa maassa.” / “A coyntryman lies on the ground.”