epäoikea

Epäoikea is a Finnish adjective formed with the negating prefix epä- attached to oikea, meaning right, correct, or proper. The term describes something that is not correct or not proper, such as an incorrect statement, a faulty measurement, or an improper conclusion. In everyday language it can refer to anything that deviates from what is true or appropriate.

In practice, epäoikea is often used for factual or logical errors rather than moral judgments. It is common to encounter phrases like epäoikea vastaus (an incorrect answer), epäoikea mittaus (an inaccurate measurement), or epäoikea päättely (an improper or faulty inference). When the issue concerns fairness or justice, Finnish speakers typically use terms such as epäoikeudenmukainen (unfair) or oikeudenmukainen (just), rather than epäoikea.

Etymologically, epäoikea is built from the prefix epä- meaning not or un-, and oikea meaning right, correct, or proper. The word is a standard part of Finnish vocabulary and can function as an attributive or predicate adjective and be declined according to case and number.

Related terms include epäoikeudenmukainen (unfair/inequitable), virheellinen (faulty/erroneous), and väärä (wrong). While epäoikea emphasizes deviation from correctness, epäoikeudenmukainen emphasizes injustice or inequity.

See also: epäoikeudenmukaisuus, virheellinen, väärä, epätarkka.