Kymmeniäsatoja

Kymmeniäsatoja is a Finnish quantity expression that conveys a large, approximate number, typically understood as hundreds of items or more. In standard Finnish, the typical form is two words: kymmeniä satoja. The single-word variant kymmeniäsatoja is uncommon and generally considered non-standard, appearing mainly in stylistic writing, older texts, or headlines.

Etymology and form. The expression combines kymmeniä, the partitive plural form meaning “tens of,” with satoja, the genitive plural of sata (“hundred”). Finnish frequently stacks numerals to express broad quantities, and kymmeniäsatoja represents this intensification in a compact, fused form. However, the preferred spelling in formal prose remains two separate words.

Usage and style. The phrase is used to describe large, imprecise counts where precision is not required. In everyday language, people typically say kymmeniä satoja ihmisia or similar, depending on the noun. The fused form kymmeniäsatoja is rare and can come across as stylistic or archaic; in formal statistics, journalism, or academic writing, the two-word form is recommended. It is not a precise quantity; it signals an approximate magnitude rather than an exact number.

Examples.

- Tilaisuudessa oli kymmeniä satoja osallistujia.

- Tutkimuksen mukaan alueella liikkuu kymmeniä satoja asukkaita.

- Joissakin otsikoissa on nähty harvoin kymmeniäsatoja lukijoita, käytettynä tarkoitettuna korostamaan mittakaavaa.

See also. kymmeniä; satoja; tuhansia; suuria lukuja.