estäjien

Estäjä (plural estäjät; genitive estäjien) is a Finnish noun meaning a person or thing that prevents or hinders something from happening. It stems from the verb estää, which means to prevent or hinder. The agent noun suffix -jä forms estäjä, the plural nominative is estäjät, and the genitive plural is estäjien.

In usage, estäjä can refer to a concrete obstacle, such as a physical barrier, or to a person who blocks an action, such as a supervisor or rule. It can also describe abstract impediments—bureaucratic requirements, technical restrictions, or security measures—that prevent a process from proceeding. The word is common in everyday Finnish and can appear in neutral descriptions as well as critiques of hindering factors.

Estäjä belongs to the class of agent nouns formed with the suffix -jä. The plural estäjät denotes multiple blockers, while estäjien is the genitive plural used to describe possession or attribution, for example, "estejien vaikutus" meaning the effect of blockers.

See also: estävä, estää, este (obstacle).