Terveelläkään

Terveelläkään is a Finnish adverb formed from terveellä, the adessive form of terve (healthy), plus the particle kään. The combination is used to emphasize negation and translates roughly to “not even healthy” or “not healthy in the least.” It typically appears in clauses that negate a state of health or condition.

In usage, terveelläkään commonly appears with a negation such as ei ole or ei ... ole. Examples include: “Hän ei ole terveelläkään kunnossa” meaning “He is not in healthy condition at all,” and “Potilas ei ole terveelläkään kunnossa” meaning “The patient is not in good health.” The expression signals a stronger, more absolute judgment than a plain statement of being unhealthy.

Grammatically, -kään is a discourse particle used for emphasis in negative clauses, and it attaches to the adessive form to create a single word: terveelläkään. The construction is widespread in spoken Finnish and in journalistic or informal writing; in formal contexts it may be used less frequently, but remains understood.

Translations into English vary by context, with common renderings including “not in the least healthy,” “not even healthy,” or “not healthy in any way.” The term is a characteristic example of Finnish intensifying particles that appear in negated statements to strengthen the claim about health or condition.