lakien

Lakien is the genitive plural form of the Finnish noun laki, meaning "laws." It is used to refer to laws collectively or to specify which laws apply in a given context. The genitive plural ending -ien marks association with more than one law. Lakien appears in legal and political language in phrases such as lakien noudattaminen (compliance with the laws), lakien rikkominen (violation of the laws), lakien mukaan (in accordance with the laws), and lakien muuttaminen (amendment of the laws). In ordinary speech, lakien typically functions as part of a noun phrase rather than as a stand-alone concept.

Etymology and grammar: Lakien derives from laki, with the genitive plural suffix -ien. Finnish has no articles; nouns decline for case and number, and adjectives modify to agree with the head noun. The genitive plural lakien is used to attribute actions or descriptions to multiple laws, for example according to the laws (lakien mukaan) or based on the laws (lakien perusteella).

Usage notes: Lakien is common in formal writing and public discourse. Speakers may use lain (singular genitive) to refer to a single law, or use other case forms (for example, laki in nominative, lakia in partitive) depending on grammatical role. The plural genitive lakien is specifically used to talk about more than one law.

See also: Finnish language; Finnish law.