Oikeaaikaisesti

Oikea-aikaisesti is a Finnish adverb meaning “in a timely manner” or “at the appropriate time.” It describes the timing of an action as fitting within a planned schedule or deadline, not too early and not too late. The normative form is hyphenated: oikea-aikaisesti. In informal writing, you may encounter forms without the hyphen or with less careful spacing, such as oikeaaikaisesti, but these are generally considered nonstandard in formal Finnish.

The term is commonly used in organizational, administrative, and logistical contexts where adhering to schedules is important. It contrasts with real-time notions by emphasizing proper timing within a sequence of planned events rather than instantaneous processing. For example, deliveries and responses may be described as being made oikea-aikaisesti to indicate they arrived or were completed at the expected moment.

Etymology and related forms: oikea-aikainen means “timely” or “well-timed,” and oikea-aikaisesti is the adverbial form. Related words include oikea-aikaisuus (timeliness) and oikea-aikaisesti, which can be contrasted with reaaliaikaisesti (in real time) to distinguish timely action from continuous immediacy.

See also: oikea-aikainen, reaaliaikainen, reaaliaikaisesti. The concept is part of everyday Finnish in project management, public administration, supply chains, and any context where punctuality and adherence to schedules are valued.