Laulja

Laulja is an Estonian noun meaning a person who sings; a singer. It refers to anyone whose primary activity is singing, from amateur hobbyists to professional vocalists, across genres such as folk, classical, pop, and choral music. In media and everyday use, laulja can denote a single performer or, in a broader sense, a group of singers when discussing singing as an activity. The term is gender-neutral and commonly appears in biographies, concert announcements, and reviews.

Etymology and form: laulja is formed from laul (song or to sing) plus the agent suffix -ja, which creates nouns for people who perform an action. The word declines like other Estonian -ja nouns. The plural is lauljad, and the genitive plural is lauljate.

Usage notes: Laulja is a general term and does not specify genre, level of fame, or professional status. In Estonian, it is standard for referring to individual singers as well as to singers in a collective sense, such as when discussing a concert, a recording, or a choir. The Finnish equivalent is laulaja, reflecting shared Finno-Ugric roots with cognate forms in related languages.

See also: Estonian language terms for music and singing; Finnish laulaja as a closely related cognate.