Perustavanlaatuista

Perustavanlaatuista is a Finnish adjective form meaning fundamental or essential in nature. It is used to describe qualities, information, or issues that constitute the foundation or core of something. In practice it often appears in formal or academic contexts, for example: perustavanlaatuista tietoa, perustavanlaatuista tutkimusta, perustavanlaatuinen ajattelutapa.

Etymology and form: The word is a compound-like adjective built from the roots related to foundation (perusta) and quality (laatu) with the standard Finnish adjectival ending. The base form is perustavanlaatuinen, and its inflected part (with nouns in different cases) follows normal Finnish adjective agreement. The partitive singular form is perustavanlaatuista, used with mass nouns or after verbs that require the partitive, as in perustavanlaatuista tietoa.

Usage notes: Perustavanlaatuista describes qualities that are not merely ordinary or superficial but form a core aspect or indispensable basis. It can be used to characterize theories, policies, plans, or data sets that are central to a project or argument. While common in written Finnish, especially in scholarly or policy texts, it is less frequent in everyday speech. The term is often preferred when distinguishing between superficial or tentative aspects and those that are fundamentally important.

Related terms: Perustavanlaatuinen is the standard form for describing a foundational quality. Related expressions include perus-, keskeinen, olennainen, and olennaisesti essential qualifiers used to emphasize core features, though with different nuance.