kaihista

Kaihista is a term used in Finnish-language discourse to describe a person who experiences kaiho, a felt sense of longing or nostalgia. The word is formed from kaiho and the agentive suffix -ista, commonly used in Finnish to denote adherents or practitioners of a belief, trait, or activity.

A kaihista is typically someone who actively seeks out memories, places, or objects that evoke the past and may express this longing through writing, photography, music, collecting, or decorative choices in daily life. The term is descriptive rather than diagnostic, and its use ranges from neutral to lighthearted or analytical, depending on context.

Usage and reception: In Finnish literature and cultural criticism, kaihista can refer to a persona in a fictional work or a cultural tendency among audiences who value memory and history. It is not an official category or clinical label; definitions vary by speaker and period.

See also: kaiho, kaipaaminen, nostalgia, Finnish literature.