Hengellisiä

Hengellisiä is a Finnish term used to describe content with spiritual, religious, or devotional character. It is the plural partitive form of the adjective hengellinen (spiritual or religious) and functions as a modifier in phrases such as hengellisiä lauluja (spiritual songs), hengellisiä runoja (devotional poems), or hengellisiä tekstejä (devotional texts). The word signals that the material has a religious or inner-reflective aim rather than a secular one.

In practice, hengellisiä is most commonly encountered in church and religious contexts, where hymnals, programs, and catalogs label works or sections as hengellisiä. It is also used more broadly in Finnish literature and media to categorize works whose themes center on faith, worship, moral reflection, or spiritual consolation. While the term is strongly associated with Christian tradition in Finland, it can describe spiritual or devotional content in a broader sense as well.

Etymologically, hengellisiä derives from henki, meaning spirit or breath, combined with the suffix -ellinen to form an adjective meaning spiritual or religious. Grammatically, hengellisiä agrees with the noun it modifies in number and case; for example, hengellisiä lauluja uses the partitive plural form. Overall, hengellisiä serves as a concise descriptor for material intended to inspire, comfort, or deepen religious or spiritual contemplation.