luokka

Luokka is a Finnish noun that covers several related meanings linked by the idea of a grouping based on shared characteristics. The word is used in education, science, sociology, and information technology.

In schools, luokka refers to a group of students who study together and are taught by a particular teacher. It can indicate a grade level, such as viidennen luokan oppilaat (students in the fifth grade), and it is used in compound terms like luokanopettaja, the class teacher.

In biology, luokka is the taxonomic rank Class; it corresponds to the Latin class used in scientific classification. For example, Mammalia is the class that includes mammals. In Finnish texts you may see phrases such as luokka nisäkkäät describing the mammal class.

In sociology and economics, luokka denotes a social or economic class or stratum, such as Keskiluokka (the middle class). The term is used in analyses of social structure, mobility, and inequality, and it can refer to perceived or empirical standings within a society.

In computing, luokka is the Finnish word for class in object-oriented programming. A luokka serves as a blueprint for creating objects, defining fields (data) and methods (behavior). Programs may declare a luokka named Henkilö or Person to model real-world entities.

Other uses include general categorization or grouping in classification schemes and quality grading. The exact sense depends on context, and the word often forms compound terms or appears in phrases describing categories, rankings, or levels.