neljäsosaa

Neljäsosaa is the partitive singular form of the Finnish noun neljäsosa, which denotes one quarter of a whole. It is used when describing a portion whose amount is not a definitive whole, or when the quantity is treated as an indefinite part of something.

Etymology and form: The term comes from neljäsosa, meaning one fourth, with the partitive suffix -aa producing neljäsosaa. The base noun neljäsosa itself combines the numeral four with osa, meaning part or portion. In standard Finnish grammar, neljäsosaa functions as the object in partitive constructions.

Usage: In mathematics and everyday language, neljäsosa refers to 1/4 of something. The partitive form neljäsosaa appears in sentences where the quantity is not a definite whole: for example, "Kakun neljäsosaa on syöty" (A quarter of the cake has been eaten) or "Säästin neljäsosaa budjetista" (I saved a quarter of the budget). The term is often used interchangeably with neljännes in common speech, though neljäsosa and neljännes can carry slightly different stylistic nuances depending on context.

Declension note: The nominative singular is neljäsosa; the partitive singular is neljäsosaa. Other cases follow the regular Finnish noun declension patterns for -osa words.

See also: fractions in Finnish, neljännes, neljäsosa.