katsojan

Katsojan is the genitive singular form of the Finnish noun katsoja, meaning "viewer," "spectator," or "observer." The base noun comes from the verb katsoa, which means to look or watch. The agent noun suffix -ja creates a person who performs the action, so katsoja refers to a person who watches something, and katsojan marks possession or association.

In grammar, katsojan is used to indicate the owner or relation of something to a viewer. It is most commonly seen in phrases such as katsojan huomio (the viewer’s attention) or katsojan mielipide (the viewer’s opinion). It also appears in phrases like katsojan silmät (the viewer’s eyes). The form contrasts with the nominative katsoja (the viewer) and the genitive plural katsojien (the viewers’). A related form is katsojana, the essive case meaning “as a viewer,” used to describe someone’s role or state.

Usage notes:

- Katsojan functions as a possessive marker when the noun is used to attribute something to a viewer.

- It is part of standard Finnish morphology and can be employed in formal, neutral, or descriptive writing.

- In plural references to multiple viewers, katsojien is used, as in katsojien mielipiteet (the viewers’ opinions).

See also:

- Katsoja, the base noun.

- The essive form katsojana, used to express “as a viewer.”