oikea

Oikea is a common Finnish adjective and, in some uses, an adverbial concept. It denotes the directions of right and correctness, and is used in numerous everyday phrases. In spatial terms, oikea modifies nouns to indicate the right-hand side or direction, as in oikea käsi or oikealle käänny. In evaluative or normative contexts, oikea means correct, proper, appropriate, or true, as in oikea vastaus, oikea ratkaisu, or tehdä oikea valinta. The adverb form is oikein, meaning correctly or properly.

Grammatical notes: as an adjective, oikea inflects to agree with the noun it modifies. The base form is oikea; its endings change with case and number, for example oikean (genitive), oikeaa (partitive), oikeassa (inessive), oikeaan (illative), etc. Finnish adjectives parallel nouns in agreement, so many endings depend on the noun they describe.

Etymology and related terms: oikea is of Finnic origin. It is related in meaning to Estonian õige (correct) and has cognates in other Finnic languages. It should not be confused with other words such as oikeus (justice or law), which is a different root.

Usage notes: common compound phrases include oikea käsi (right hand), oikea vastaus (correct answer), oikea puoli (right side). In political discourse, oikea is sometimes used informally to refer to the political right, but more precise terms like oikeisto or oikeistolainen are standard.

Overall, oikea is a versatile, high-frequency word in Finnish, central to expressing direction, correctness, and appropriateness.