onnenpeliä

Onnenpeliä is a Finnish term meaning a game of luck or a game in which outcomes are primarily determined by chance. The word is formed from onni, luck, and peli, game. It can be used both literally, to describe gambling activities such as lotteries and raffles, and metaphorically, to describe situations where success depends more on luck than on skill or preparation.

In everyday language, onnenpeliä conveys the element of randomness rather than strategy. It is often used by journalists, commentators, and speakers when discussing contests, prize games, or draws, as well as in literary and cultural contexts to emphasize unpredictability or fate. The expression is versatile and can appear in various grammatical constructions, typically in the partitive form onnenpeliä, especially when describing a particular example or aspect of such chance-based activity.

Grammatically, onnenpeliä is the partitive singular form of onnenpeli. It is used with predicates or modifiers that require the partitive and can appear in phrases that classify or evaluate a given instance as a game of luck. The concept is distinct from skill-based games, where outcomes are linked to competence rather than chance.

Related terms include onni (luck) and peli (game). In broader discussion, terms for gambling and chance-based activities such as arpajaiset (lottery), lotto, pienpelit, and kolikkopelit may be mentioned as contexts in which onnenpeliä is applicable.