Nsivuinen

Nsivuinen is a term used in Finnish language contexts to describe a figure or object having a specified number of sides. In standard Finnish orthography the corresponding adjective is normally written with a hyphen: n-sivuinen. The related declined forms are n-sivuisen (genitive), n-sivuisia (partitive/plural), and n-sivuiset (plural attributive). The form nsivuinen without a hyphen is not considered standard in formal writing, and should be avoided in scholarly text.

Etymology and construction: nsivuinen is formed from the numeral n, the noun sivu meaning side, and the suffix -inen which turns a noun into an adjective meaning “having the quality of.” The variable n is used to indicate the number of sides and is common in mathematical and geometric discussions. The standard practice is to hyphenate the compound to clarify that the numeral and the noun belong together as a single descriptor.

Usage: The term is used primarily in mathematical and geometric contexts to describe polygons and similar figures with a specific number of sides. Common constructions include n-sivuinen monikulmio (an n-sided polygon) or n-sivuiset monikulmiot (n-sided polygons, plural). It is less common in everyday language and appears mainly in textbooks, problem sets, and technical descriptions.

See also: polygon, n-gon, sivu (side), -inen suffix.

Notes: When precision is important, it is advisable to use the hyphenated form n-sivuinen and to decline it consistently in sentences. The concept corresponds to the mathematical idea of “n-sided” objects and is part of standard geometric vocabulary in Finnish.