Kohtuullinen

Kohtuullinen is a Finnish adjective meaning moderate, reasonable, fair or adequate. It describes something that lies within sensible limits or is appropriate for a given situation. In everyday language it is used to evaluate prices, quantities, behavior and decisions.

Common uses include expressions such as kohtuullinen hinta (a price that is fair or reasonable), kohtuullinen määrä (an adequate amount), kohtuullinen ratkaisu (a fair solution), and kohtuullinen käytös (moderate, reasonable conduct). In legal and economic contexts it signals a standard of fairness and proportionality, for example kohtuullinen korvaus (reasonable compensation) or kohtuullinen rangaistus (a proportionate penalty).

Etymology and form: kohtuullinen is built with the suffix -llinen, indicating “having the quality of” or “characterized by,” attached to a base concept related to proportion or measure in Finnish. The related noun kohtu exists in several historical senses, but kohtuullinen is understood through its evaluative meaning rather than a single direct noun link. The noun kohtu, when encountered in modern Finnish, has unrelated meanings in other contexts.

Related forms include kohtuullisuus (reasonableness, moderation) and kohtuullisesti (adverb: reasonably). Antonyms include kohtuuttoman (unreasonable or unfair when used attributively), epäkohtuullinen (unfair) and liiallinen (excessive).

Notes: Kohtuullinen is a general evaluative descriptor used across registers, from casual speech to formal writing. Its exact sense depends on context, but it generally conveys proportion, fairness and sufficiency without extravagance.