Kuvailusanoja

Kuvailusanoja is the Finnish term for descriptive words, a broad class of words that describe a property or attribute of a noun. They are used to characterize objects, people, or situations and can convey color, size, shape, material, origin, or other qualities.

In Finnish grammar, kuvailusanat most often function as modifiers within noun phrases. The most common members are adjectives, but numerals used as attributive descriptors and certain participial forms can also act as kuvailusanat. They typically precede the noun they modify and must agree with the noun in number and case. Finnish adjectives inflect for case and number to match the noun; they do not mark gender, and degree is formed with standard comparative and superlative endings where applicable.

Kuvailusanat can also be used predicatively after the verb olla (to be), as in lauseessa "Talo on suuri" (The house is large). In predicative position, they describe the subject rather than directly modifying a noun.

Examples of kuvailusanat in use include: "punainen talo" (a red house), "musta auto" (a black car), "kaksi suurta venettä" (two large boats), "vanha kirjasto" (an old library). Plural and case endings of the noun determine the final morphology of the accompanying kuvailusanat.

See also: adjectives, numerals (lukusanat), participles in Finnish grammar, Finnish noun phrases.