köitma

Käitma is an Estonian verb with multiple related meanings centered on action, conduct, and handling. The core sense is to behave or to act in a certain way, and it can also express how one deals with people, objects, or situations. The most common usage is behavioral: describing manners, conduct, or performance in a given context. The related noun is käitumine, meaning behavior.

In everyday use, käitma refers to how someone behaves or presents themselves. Examples include statements like ta käitus viisakalt (he behaved politely) or käitumine peab olema kooskõlas reeglitega (behavior must be in accordance with the rules). The word underpins the concept of social norms and personal conduct, and is often connected to discussions of etiquette, discipline, or manners.

Käitma can also appear in a more general sense of handling or dealing with something or someone, though this usage is less frequent in spoken Estonian and is frequently replaced by other verbs such as käsitlema or kohtlema. In these contexts, speakers may use related forms such as käituda (to behave, to conduct oneself) to emphasize action in response to a situation. For example, one might speak of how to act in a difficult situation by using the reflexive käituda.

Etymologically, käitma is linked to the noun käitumine (behavior) and to the related verb käituma, which expresses acting or behaving in a certain way. See also käitumine, käituma, käsitlema.