Empirikusan

Empirikusan is a Finnish adverb that denotes doing something in an empirical manner, i.e., based on observation, experience, or data rather than theory alone. In contemporary Finnish, the most common adverb for this sense is empirisesti. Empirikusan is rare and not widely used in standard dictionaries, and when it appears it is typically in contexts aiming for a formal or archaic tone or in specific stylistic choices.

Usage and register. Because empirisesti is the established form, empirikusan tends to be encountered only in niche texts or in attempts to achieve a particular stylistic effect. In everyday and most academic writing, writers would prefer empirisesti to express empirical methodology or conclusions. When empirikusan does appear, it should be understood as a nonstandard or variant form rather than a mainstream part of Finnish grammar.

Etymology and form. The word is built from the adjective empiri- ninen (empirical) and functions as an adverbial modifier in certain stylistic contexts. It is not part of the regular, widely accepted inflection pattern for adverbs formed from -inen adjectives, where -isesti is the standard suffix. Because of this, empirikusan is less predictable for learners and is best avoided in formal writing in favor of empirisesti.

See also. Empirical, empirical method, empirical data, empiriikka, empirical research in Finnish usage notes.