Yhtäläinen

Yhtäläinen is a Finnish adjective meaning equal, identical, or alike. It derives from the root yhtä- meaning “the same” and the suffix -lainen, which forms adjectives indicating likeness, origin, or belonging. The word typically describes things that share the same value, status, form, or relation, and it is used in formal and descriptive prose as well as in literary contexts.

In everyday language, equal or similar concepts are often expressed with words such as sama (the same) or with constructions using the adverb yhtä in combination with another adjective. Yhtäläinen appears when a trait is treated as a property of the subject, particularly in discussions of equality or comparison, though exact usage can vary by register and region. In mathematics, the cognate noun yhtälö denotes an equation, and the noun yhtäläisyys denotes equality; therefore yhtäläinen is more commonly used to describe a characteristic of a subject rather than to designate an equation itself. In technical or academic writing, yhtäläinen can describe a relationship or condition that makes two or more entities equal or analogous in a given context.

Relations to related terms: the root yhtä- forms several words connected to sameness and equality, including yhtäläisyys (equality) and yhtälö (equation). The meaning of yhtäläinen can shift with context and grammatical inflection, so consulting standard Finnish dictionaries is helpful for precise usage in a particular sentence.