juutalaiseen

Juutalaiseen is the illative singular form of the Finnish word juutalainen, which can function as both a noun meaning “a Jew” and an adjective meaning “Jewish.” In Finnish, the illative case expresses movement into or toward something, or membership in a group, so juutalaiseen appears in phrases such as juutalaiseen yhteisöön (into a Jewish community) or liittyä juutalaiseen kulttuuriin (to join Jewish culture).

As a noun, juutalainen refers to a person who is Jewish. The plural form is juutalaiset. As an adjective, juutalainen describes things related to Judaism or Jewish people, and its forms follow the same case-system as the noun; for example, juutalaiset yhteisöt (Jewish communities) in plural, or juutalaiseen kulttuuriin (into Jewish culture) in illative singular.

The word is standard and neutral in modern Finnish usage when applied respectfully to people, communities, or cultural aspects. As with other terms naming ethnic or religious groups, careful, factual context and avoidance of stereotyping are advised. In everyday language, one would typically say esimerkiksi Hän on juutalainen (He is Jewish) or juutalainen yhteisö (a Jewish community), while juutalaiseen serves as the grammatically appropriate form in constructions requiring the illative case.

Etymologically, juutalainen is a native Finnish formation developed under influence from surrounding languages, including Swedish. It is part of everyday Finnish vocabulary for discussing Judaism and Jewish people.