Sairastaja

Sairastaja is a Finnish noun that refers to a person who is ill or suffering from sickness. It describes someone currently experiencing illness and is commonly found in everyday language or nonclinical contexts. In professional medical settings, the term potilas (patient) is more typical, as it emphasizes the care relationship rather than the state of illness.

Etymology and forms: The word is formed from the verb sairastaa, meaning “to fall ill” or “to be ill,” combined with the agent suffix -ja. This yields a noun meaning “the one who becomes ill” or “the ill person.” Related forms include sairastaminen (the act of becoming ill or illness), sairastanut (someone who has fallen ill), and sairastuva (an ill person or someone who is becoming ill). The plural form is sairastajat, and the adjective form would be sairastava or sairastuva when describing someone who is ill.

Usage notes: Sairastaja can refer to any person who is ill, and it may appear in descriptive, narrative, or media language. It is gender-neutral and not tied to a specific medical setting. Because it foregrounds the experience of illness rather than treatment, it tends to be less common in formal medical records, where potilas or potilaan ascriptions are preferred.

See also: potilas, sairaus, sairastaminen, sairastaa.

Example usage: Sairastaja tarvitsee lepoa ja riittävästi nesteytystä. Sairastajat voivat saada ohjeita terveydenhuollon ammattilaisilta, mutta termiä käytetään myös yleiskielessä kuvaamaan ketä tahansa sairastunutta.