Kokeellisen

Kokeellinen is a Finnish adjective meaning “experimental” or “empirical,” used to describe methods, studies, or approaches that rely on experiments, trials, or observation rather than purely theoretical reasoning. In scientific and scholarly contexts, kokeellinen can be contrasted with teoreettinen (theoretical) or empiriinen (empirical, data-derived), although in everyday language empiriinilla and kokeellinen usage may overlap.

Etymology and nuance: kokeellinen derives from the verb kokeilla (to try, to test) with the suffix -ellinen, which forms adjectives indicating a characteristic or relation. The term emphasizes an active, experiment-based aspect of the described subject. In practice, tutkimus, suunnittelu, tai lähestymistapa may be labeled kokeellinen to highlight the involvement of experiments or trial-and-error processes. The word is common in fields such as science, engineering, medicine, arts, and design, where new methods or artworks are explored through experimentation.

Grammar and inflection: kokeellinen behaves like a regular Finnish adjective and agrees with the noun in number and case. Examples include: nominative kokeellinen tutkimus, genitive kokeellisen tutkimuksen, partitive kokeellista tutkimusta, illative kokeelliseen tutkimukseen, inessive kokeellisessa tutkimuksessa, translative kokeelliseksi tutkimukseksi. The phrase kokeellisen tutkimuksen refers to “the experimental research,” while kokeellinen lähestymistapa means an experimental approach.

Usage notes: In Finnish, empirical knowledge is often described as empirinen, but kokeellinen is preferred when the emphasis is on conducting experiments or testing hypotheses. The term is common in academic writing, lab contexts, and interdisciplinary work that foregrounds trial and observation.

See also: empirical method, empirical research, experimental design, teoreettinen.