Suunnittain

Suunnittain is a Finnish adverb meaning "by direction" or "in terms of direction or orientation." It describes how something is distributed, analyzed, or described when the relevant aspect is direction, axis, or compass orientation rather than time or quantity. The term is common in technical, scientific, cartographic, and mathematical texts and is less frequent in everyday speech.

In practice, suunnittain is used to partition data or observations according to directional sectors. For example, a report might present results suunnittain by cardinal directions such as pohjoinen (north), etelä (south), itä (east), and länsi (west). In maps and geometry, phenomena can be described suunnittain relative to a reference axis or plane, or to indicate that measurements apply to different directional components.

Etymology and form: suunnittain is formed from the noun suunta (direction) with the suffix -n and the adverbial suffix -tain, yielding a sense of “in a manner tied to direction.” The word belongs to a family of Finnish adverbs derived from nouns to convey aspectual nuance.

Notes on usage: suunnittain tends to appear in formal or technical writing. In everyday Finnish, speakers may prefer phrases like suuntien mukaan ("by directions") or suhteessa suuntaan/suuntaisesti, depending on the context. It is important to choose the phrasing that best fits the level of precision required by the discourse.

See also: suunta, suuntaus, suuntaviiva, suunnitelma.