In old Finnish poetry, it is common to use consecutive words that start similarly. For example, Kalevala, the national epos, starts with the words Vaka vanha Väinämöinen. This is called alliteration; the Finnish name is alkusointu.
Alliteration can heard in many descriptive phrases that are used even in everyday language, such as nähdä nälkää (to starve; literally: to see hunger) and muun muassa (among others). In some combinations, such as such as hujan hajan (all over the place) and apposen auki (wide open), the first part does not mean anything as such and does not appear in any other context; it is a creation formed just for rhythm and for alliteration. The first part can often be described as a word-specific intensifier.
Alliteration is sometimes regarded as a stylistic fault, especially in formal prose. In Finnish, alliteration is very common in phraseology and in the formation of new phrases or just casual expressions. However, alliteration normally appears in two words that relate in meaning, sometimes in three or even four words. Other types of alliteration may sound less suitable and may appear as unintended mistakes rather than a nice stylistic device.