hajoittuu

Hajoittuu is a Finnish verb meaning to decompose, disintegrate, or fall apart. It describes a process in which a substance or object loses its cohesion and breaks down into smaller parts, often due to chemical, biological, physical, or environmental factors. The term is commonly used about materials, organic matter, and structures that gradually lose integrity under conditions such as heat, moisture, aging, or chemical exposure.

Grammatical note: hajoittuu is the present tense form of the intransitive verb hajoittua and is used for third-person singular subjects, as in se hajoittuu nopeasti ("it disintegrates quickly"). The infinitive is hajoittua, and the past tense is hajoittui. The noun form describing the process is hajoittuminen (decomposition, disintegration).

Contexts and usage: In science and everyday language, hajoittuminen is used to describe natural decay, chemical decomposition, or the breakdown of materials. It is common in discussions of environmental science (biodegradation), materials science (material failure or weakening), and biology (organic matter breaking down). The term helps distinguish spontaneous or process-driven breakdown from deliberate disassembly, which in Finnish is usually expressed with the transitive hajottaa (to break apart, to dismantle).

Related terms: Hajoitus and hajoittuminen are connected concepts referring to breakdown or decomposition, while biohajoittuvuus (biohajoittuvuus) refers to biodegradability in environmental contexts. Overall, hajoittuu conveys a non-agentive change where the subject undergoes disintegration as a natural or chemical process.