länsisen

Länsisen is a Finnish adjective meaning “western” or “of the west.” It is used to describe things relating to the western part of a region or to Western culture and influence. The form länsisen is the genitive singular of the adjective, and it appears when the adjective modifies a noun in genitive or is part of a noun phrase headed by a genitive noun, as in typical Finnish constructions.

In practice, länsinen and its inflected forms are used in phrases such as maan länsisen osan, meaning “the western part of the country,” or länsisen kulttuurin vaikutus, meaning “the influence of Western culture.” The word is formed from länsi (west) plus the common adjectival suffix -nen, yielding a word that behaves like other Finnish adjectives in agreeing with the noun in case and number.

Usage notes emphasize that länsinen is primarily a descriptive, geographic, or cultural term. It is common in formal or written Finnish when precise spatial or cultural distinctions are needed. In everyday speech, speakers might instead describe location or culture more directly (for example, using itlaissa phrases about west-related features) or use synonyms depending on context.

See also: länsi, länsimainen, itä (east), itäinen.