Ohjainta

Ohjainta is the partitive singular form of the Finnish noun ohjain, meaning a device that directs or controls a system—essentially a controller or driver. The base term can refer to hardware controllers as well as software components that enable control, depending on the context. In everyday Finnish, ohjain can denote a physical control unit such as a game controller or remote control; in technical or industrial settings it can refer to a control module or software driver that allows a device to operate.

Common usages include compound terms such as laiteohjain (device driver), which denotes the software component that communicates with hardware; mikro-ohjain (microcontroller), a compact computer used in embedded systems; and kauko-ohjain (remote control), a handheld device that sends commands to another device. The form ohjainta appears as the object form in phrases describing an unspecified quantity or a direct object, for example, Tarvitsetko ohjainta? or Tarvitsen ohjainta, I need a controller.

Etymology and overview: ohjain derives from the verb ohjata, to direct or guide, with the suffix -in forming a noun that denotes something that directs. The term is widely used in Finnish-language technical literature and product documentation to describe both hardware controllers and software control components.

See also: mikro-ohjain, laiteohjain, kauko-ohjain, ohjainkortti.