jooksja

Jooksja is the Estonian term for a person who runs, used broadly to denote runners in sports as well as in everyday life. In sports contexts, jooksja refers to competitive runners across disciplines such as track and field, road running, cross-country, and marathon events. The term is also used more generally for someone who runs regularly.

Etymology and formation: The word is formed from the verb jooksma, meaning "to run," with the agent suffix -ja, which creates nouns for people associated with an activity. The plural form is jooksjad.

Usage and nuance: Jooksja is a gender-neutral term. It can describe an individual athlete, for example in biographies or sports reporting, or refer to runners as a group. It is common to specify the discipline or distance when precision is needed, such as a long-distance jooksja or a sprinter, though the generic term remains widely understood.

Examples: Ta on kiire jooksja. (He is a fast runner.) Maratoni jooksjad osalesid võistlusel. (The marathon runners competed in the event.)

Related terms include jooks (running) and jooksma (to run). The word forms part of everyday Estonian vocabulary for sports and fitness, and is often encountered in media coverage of athletics and recreational running.