jäykästä

jäykästä is the elative singular form of the Finnish adjective jäykkä, meaning stiff or rigid. In Finnish, adjectives agree with the noun they modify in case and number, so jäykästä is used when the noun is in the elative case (usually translated as from or from out of). For example, jäykästä puusta means “from stiff wood,” and jäykästä muovista valmistettu means “made from stiff plastic.”

In addition to jäykästä, the related base forms of jäykkä are jäykkä (nominative singular) and jäykän (genitive singular). Finnish adjectives decline for number and case, so the form changes depending on how the noun is used in the sentence. The elative form, such as jäykästä, is common when describing materials or sources.

Usage and nuance: jäykkä describes physical rigidity, but it can be used figuratively to denote inflexibility in behavior or approach. In technical or design contexts, jäykkä often characterizes materials with high stiffness or rigidity, such as wood, metal, or plastic, as well as surfaces or components with limited flexibility.

Examples:

- Pinta on jäykästä puusta. (The surface is of/from stiff wood.)

- Tuoli on tehty jäykästä muovista. (The chair is made from stiff plastic.)

- Hän on jäykkä puheessaan. (He is stiff in his speech; figuratively, he is rigid in style.)

See also: jäykkä, Finnish adjective inflection, Finnish grammar notes on the elative case.