kaheksan

Kaheksan is a numeral form associated with the Finnic languages, centered on the number eight. In everyday Estonian, the basic cardinal is kaheksa, while kaheksan appears primarily in linguistic descriptions as an inflected variant used in certain grammatical constructions. It is not a common standalone word in ordinary speech, but it is shown in grammars and language-learning materials to illustrate how numerals can change form in different cases.

In Estonian grammar, numerals often interact with nouns through case endings, and kaheksan is cited as an example of how an eight-related numeral may appear in non-nominative contexts. Because Estonian relies on noun endings to convey grammatical role, the numeral itself commonly remains uninflected in everyday use, with the noun carrying the case ending. Kaheksan thus functions mainly as a reference point for inflectional patterns rather than as a frequently used lexical item.

Cognates and related forms appear in other Finnic languages. The closest widely used form in Finnish is kahdeksan, meaning eight. Although the spelling and inflectional behavior differ between Estonian and Finnish, the two share a common Proto-Finnic origin for their eight-related numerals.

See also: kaheksa, kahdeksan. Kaheksan is primarily of interest to students and scholars of Finnic linguistics and may appear in dictionaries or grammar guides that illustrate numeral inflection.