Kohtuullista

Kohtuullista is the partitive singular form of the Finnish adjective kohtuullinen, which means reasonable, fair, or moderate. It is used to describe things deemed appropriate in amount, price, or degree, as well as actions or expectations that are temperate rather than excessive. The concept is common in everyday language and appears in discussions about prices, compensation, rules, and behavior.

Etymology and grammar notes: Kohtuullinen comes from the notion of being in proper measure or proportion, rooted in the word kohtu meaning measure or portion, with the typical Finnish adjective suffix -llinen. The form kohtuullista is the partitive singular, used when the accompanying noun is in the partitive or in certain predicate contexts, for example with negation or indefinite objects. In practice, kohtuullista often appears before a noun in a phrase such as kohtuullista hintaa (a reasonable price) or kohtuullista korvausta (a fair compensation), or in clauses like Se ei ole kohtuullista (That is not reasonable).

Usage examples and nuance: Kohtuullinen is versatile and commonly paired with prices, wages, penalties, or expectations, as in hinta on kohtuullinen (the price is reasonable) or maksaako kohtuullista summaa (to pay a reasonable amount). The adverbial form kohtuullisesti describes actions done in a moderate or reasonable manner, and kohtuullinen vaihtoehto refers to a suitable alternative. Synonyms include kohtuullinen, sopiva, maltillinen, oikeudenmukainen; antonyms include kohtuuton or äärimmäinen.

See also: kohtuullisuus, sopivuus, maltillisuus.