kiinalaisen

Kiinalaisen is the genitive singular form of kiinalainen, a Finnish word meaning a person from China or, more broadly, something related to China when used as an adjective. As a noun, kiinalainen refers to a Chinese person; as an adjective, kiinalainen describes Chinese origin or characteristics, as in kiinalainen keittiö (Chinese cuisine) or kiinalainen kulttuuri (Chinese culture).

In grammar, kiinalaisen is used to indicate possession or attribution in phrases such as kiinalaisen kulttuurin vaikutus (the influence of Chinese culture) or kiinalaisen opiskelijan esitys (the presentation of a Chinese student). The corresponding partitive is kiinalaista, and the plural form kiinalaisia refers to several Chinese people or things related to China. The stem kiinalainen is formed from Kiina (China) with the Finnish suffix -lainen, a common pattern for demonyms and origin-based adjectives.

Usage and nuance: kiinalainen is a neutral, standard term for someone from China in everyday Finnish. As with all ethnonyms, it should be used respectfully and without stereotyping. In formal or media contexts, it is typically used descriptively to indicate nationality or ethnic background, rather than to imply any stereotype about individuals or groups.

See also: Finnish demonyms, nationality adjectives, language style guidelines for referring to ethnic groups. The term’s relevance and acceptability align with common Finnish usage for describing people and things connected to China.