lapsenlapsien

Lapsenlapsien is the genitive plural form of lapsenlapsi, a Finnish kinship term meaning "grandchild"—the child of one's child. The basic concept is that a lapsenlapsi is a grandchild, with lapsenlapset being the nominative plural for multiple grandchildren. The genitive plural lapsenlapsien is used when something pertains to or belongs to the grandchildren, or when describing relationships involving them in a possessive sense. Examples include phrases like "Lapsenlapsien lukumäärä on kasvanut" (the number of grandchildren has increased) or "Lapsenlapsien nimet" (the grandchildren’s names). The corresponding partitive plural is lapsenlapsia, as in "Minulla on kolme lapsenlapsia" (I have three grandchildren).

Etymology and form: lapsenlapsi is a compound meaning “child of a child.” Historically it emerged from the idea of a child of one’s own child, and the genitive plural is formed as lapsenlapsien while the nominative plural is lapsenlapset. The partitive plural, used in contexts such as unspecified quantities, is lapsenlapsia.

Usage and variants: The term is neutral and widely used in everyday language, media, and official statistics when referring to grandchildren. Some speakers may encounter alternative forms such as lastenlapsi, but lapsenlapsi remains the standard in formal contexts. Lapsenlapsien appears most often in written Finnish and in contexts requiring a possessive or descriptive relationship to the grandchildren.