ikäinen

Ikäinen is a Finnish adjective meaning “of a certain age” or “aged.” It is formed from the noun ikä (age) plus the suffix -inen and is used to describe someone or something by its age, rather than by appearance or condition. It is most common in formal or precise descriptions of age.

A typical way to express age with ikäinen is to pair a numeral in genitive with the phrase vuoden ikäinen, as in kolmenkymmenen vuoden ikäinen mies (a man thirty years old) or viidenkymmenen vuoden ikäinen nainen (a fifty-year-old woman). In everyday language, a more compact form is often used: X-vuotias, for example kolmekymppinen (a person in their thirties). The choice between forms can depend on style, emphasis, and context.

Ikäinen carries a neutral, factual tone and is appropriate when the exact age is known or specifically stated. It is distinct from more subjective terms like vanha (old) or nuori (young), which describe condition or relative age rather than a precise age.

Declension and grammar: ikäinen behaves like other Finnish adjectives, agreeing with the noun it modifies in number and case. The common sequence for stating age remains the attributive phrase X vuoden ikäinen [person/thing].

Origin: ikäinen is derived from ikä (“age”) with the adjectival suffix -inen, a productiveFormation in Finnish that yields descriptors of age or quality.

See also: ikä, vanha, nuori, vuosikymmen.