Työläinen

Työläinen is a Finnish noun meaning "worker" or "laborer." It refers to a person who performs work, typically manual or industrial tasks, and is used to describe wage earners in general. The term is gender-neutral and is inflected like other Finnish nouns (for example, työläinen in the singular nominative and työläiset in the plural).

Etymology and formation: Työläinen is formed from the word työ, meaning work, plus the derivational suffix -lainen, which creates nouns that denote a person associated with or belonging to something. The suffix is common in Finnish for forming terms like kaupunkilainen (city resident) or suomalainen (Finn).

Usage and context: In everyday Finnish, työläinen is a straightforward descriptor of someone who works for pay. In sociological or historical writing, it is often used to refer to the working class or to wage laborers as a social group. The word is largely neutral, though its connotations can vary with tone and context, especially in discussions of labor rights, industrial history, or class policy.

Related terms: palkansaaja (wage earner), työväenluokka (the working class), sekä työehto (working conditions). While closely related, these terms emphasize different aspects of employment and social structure.