käsityksiä

Käsityksiä is the plural partitive form of the Finnish noun käsitys, which means concept, notion, view, belief, or understanding. It denotes the various mental representations or interpretations that people or groups hold about a topic. Käsityksiä can refer to everyday beliefs as well as formal or theoretical conceptions found in science, philosophy, culture, or politics. The word is common in both spoken and written Finnish, especially when contrasting different notions or summarizing a range of opinions.

In usage, käsityksiä is typically used with verbs that indicate possessing or presenting notions, such as "on erilaisia käsityksiä" or "jakaa käsityksiä" (share conceptions). It differs from mielipide (opinion) in that käsitys emphasizes an underlying understanding or framework rather than a single stance. It is also distinct from näkökulma (perspective) and asenne (attitude). Academically, phrases like "nykyiset käsitykset" or "tutkimuksen käsitykset" refer to prevailing conceptions or interpretations within a field.

Etymologically, käsitys derives from the verb käsittää "to grasp, comprehend," reflecting the sense of grasping or forming an understanding. Morphologically, the plural partitive form is käsityksiä, with the stem käsitys. The expression "eri käsityksiä" illustrates its use as a plural object. The term is versatile across contexts, ranging from everyday beliefs to specialized discussions about scientific conceptions.