kolmkümmend

Kolmkümmend is the Estonian cardinal number for 30. It is used in counting, telling ages, specifying dates, quantities and other numerical contexts. In writing, it commonly appears together with nouns, as in kolmkümmend inimest (thirty people) or kolmkümmend aastat vana (thirty years old). In modern Estonian, digits 30 are also widely used, especially in technical, administrative, and digital contexts, but kolmkümmend remains standard in everyday speech and prose.

Etymology and formation: kolmkümmend is a compound of kolm, meaning three, and kümmend, the Estonian suffix used to form the tens (20, 30, 40, etc.). The combination literally expresses “three tens.” The tens from 20 to 90 are formed similarly, for example kakskümmend (twenty), nelikümmend (forty), viiskümmend (fifty).

Phonology and spelling: the word contains a consonant cluster produced by word-formation rules, shown in the spelled form kolmkümmend with a double k. The primary stress falls on the first syllable: kolmkümmend.

Cross-linguistic note: kolmkümmend is the Finnic-language counterpart to similar formations in related languages, such as Finnish kolmekymmentä, reflecting the shared concept of “three tens” for the number 30.

Examples: Ta on kolmkümmend aastat vana. Kolmkümmend inimest osales võistlusel.