Adjektiivipääte

Adjektiivipääte, a term used in Finnish grammar, refers to suffixes that create adjectives from nouns or stems. These suffixes enable the derivation of descriptive words such as materials, origins, or qualities, and they often attach directly to the stem to form a new adjective.

The most productive and widespread adjective suffixes in Finnish are -inen, -llinen, -ellinen, and -lainen. The suffix -inen is commonly used to denote a material or inherent quality, as in puu (wood) → puinen (wooden) and kivi (stone) → kivinen (stone-like or made of stone). -llinen and -ellinen are used for adjectives describing character or state, with examples such as rauha (peace) → rauhallinen (peaceful) and taide (art) → taiteellinen (artistic). The suffix -lainen is especially common for forming adjectives of origin, nationality, or belonging, often yielding demonyms or adjectives like suomalainen (Finnish), kanadalainen (Canadian), kaupunkilainen (city dweller).

In usage, adjektiivipääte-adjectives inflect like other Finnish adjectives and agree with the noun they modify in number and case, but not in gender. For example: puinen talo (a wooden house), puisen talon (the wooden house’s), suomalainen mies (a Finnish man), suomalaisen miehen (the Finnish man’s). Suffix choice can convey nuances such as material (puinen), origin or affiliation (suomalainen, kaupunkilainen), or general quality (rauhallinen, taiteellinen).

Notes and exceptions exist, as some adjectives originate through lexicalized forms or historical derivations. The concept of adjektiivipääte is central to understanding how Finnish builds descriptive words from base stems and how these forms behave in inflection and syntax. See also Finnish grammar and common adjective suffixes such as -inen, -llinen, and -lainen.