kidnapattu

Kidnapattu is a Finnish adjective meaning “kidnapped.” It is formed from the verb kidnapata, to kidnap, which is a loanword from English. The suffix -ttu creates a past participle-like adjective, used to describe a person or thing that has been subjected to kidnapping. The word can be used predicatively, as in Hän on kidnapattu (He/She has been kidnapped), or attributively, as in kidnapattu lapsi (kidnapped child).

In Finnish, there are also native terms for kidnapping, such as kaappaaminen (the act) and kaapattu (the past participle of kaapata). The loanword form kidnapattu is common in contemporary language, including journalism and everyday speech, but the core meaning remains the same: an individual or group has been abducted and is the subject of a kidnapping event.

Usage notes include that kidnapattu functions as an adjective and must agree with the noun in number and case, for example, kidnapatut henkilöt (the kidnapped persons) or kidnapattu lapsi (the kidnapped child). The term appears across legal, media, and historical contexts when referring to individuals who have been abducted. Overall, kidnapattu provides a concise, neutral way to indicate that kidnapping has occurred in reference to a person or object.