Eestikeelsed

Eestikeelsed is an Estonian-language adjective and plural noun form used to describe Estonian-speaking people or Estonian-language contexts. The term is formed from Eesti (Estonia) and keel (language) with the suffix -ne, yielding eestikeelne in singular and eestikeelsed in plural.

In practice, eestikeelsed can refer to things related to the Estonian language, such as eestikeelsed raamatud (Estonian-language books), eestikeelsed meediakanalid (Estonian-language media), or eestikeelne haridus (education conducted in Estonian). When referring to people, it describes individuals who use Estonian as their primary language or who identify with Estonian language and culture; the noun usage for people is less common than the adjectival form.

Estonian is a Finnic language in the Uralic language family, closely related to Finnish and Karelian. The concept of eestikeelsed thus sits within the broader Estonian linguistic and cultural sphere and is applied in both Estonia and diaspora communities where Estonian-language institutions exist, such as in parts of Sweden, Finland, Canada, the United States, and Russia.

The term is widely used in linguistic, educational, and cultural contexts to distinguish Estonian-language phenomena from those in other languages within multilingual settings. See also: Estonian language; Estonian people; Finnic languages; language policy.