norjalais

Norjalais is a Finnish term used as a demonym and adjective meaning Norwegian: a person from Norway or something relating to Norway. In standard Finnish, the noun is norjalainen (plural norjalaiset), and the adjective forms are used before a noun to indicate origin (for example, norjalainen kulttuuri = Norwegian culture).

The word is formed with the country name Norja plus the demonym suffix -lainen, a common pattern for creating nationalities in Finnish. The stem norjalais- appears in various inflected forms as required by Finnish grammar, such as norjalaisen (genitive singular) or norjalaisia (partitive plural). In practice, norjalainen is the typical form for both singular noun and adjective, while norjalais- forms show up only in inflected contexts.

Usage and nuance: norjalainen is widely used in neutral, everyday Finnish to describe people from Norway or things associated with Norway. It does not carry a inherent positive or negative connotation; tone depends on context and phrasing. For example, Henkilö on norjalainen (The person is Norwegian) and Norjalainen kulttuuri (Norwegian culture) are standard constructions.

See also: related terms include Norja (the country), and the topic of Norwegian language typically discussed as Norwegian (norjan kieli) in Finnish-language sources. Finnish demonyms often follow the -lainen suffix pattern, with minor orthographic and inflectional variations across different country names.