erilaisia

Erilaisia is the partitive plural form of the Finnish adjective erilainen, meaning “different,” “varied,” or “diverse.” It is used when describing several items or groups with an indefinite amount, and the noun it modifies is in the partitive case. For example, erilaisia eläimiä means “different kinds of animals,” erilaisia vaihtoehtoja means “various options,” and erilaisia maita means “different countries.”

In contrast, the nominative plural form erilaiset is used when the subject of a sentence refers to the “different ones” themselves, such as in frases like “Nämä ihmiset ovat erilaiset” or “erilaiset ihmiset” meaning “the different people” or “various people.” The distinction reflects Finnish grammar’s system of case and number, where the same base adjective takes different endings depending on how the noun is used in the clause.

Erilaisia is commonly used to express variety and inclusivity without specifying which items are included. It often appears in descriptive phrases, lists, or comparisons, and it can modify a wide range of plural nouns across topics such as objects, populations, ideas, and options.

Related terms include erilaine, erilaistuminen (less common in everyday speech), and eriarvoisuus or erilaisuus, the latter meaning “diversity” or “difference” as a concept. Overall, erilaisia conveys a sense of multiplicity and difference when applied to plural nouns in the partitive context.