paikallinen

Paikallinen is a Finnish adjective meaning local or pertaining to a particular place or community. It is used to describe things connected with a town, region, neighborhood, or other defined locality. The term can also function as a noun in colloquial Finnish to refer to a local person, for example as paikalliset meaning “the locals.”

The word is formed from the noun paikka meaning “place” and the suffix -lainen, which conveys belonging or relation, yielding a sense of local or native. As an adjective it inflects for number and case in the standard Finnish pattern: paikallinen (nominative singular), paikallisen (genitive), paikalliseen (illative), and paikalliset (nominative plural), among other forms.

Usage notes: In everyday language paikallinen describes objects, services, or activities tied to a specific place, such as paikallinen kauppa (local shop) or paikallinen elintarvike (locally produced food). It is commonly employed in contexts such as tourism, governance, and media to distinguish things from national or international scope. The term contrasts with broader terms like kansallinen (national) or kansainvälinen (international).