piiloutuja

Piiloutuja is a Finnish noun meaning “the hider” or “a person who hides.” It is formed from the verb piiloutua, which means “to hide oneself,” with the agent suffix -uja. The term is commonly used in everyday Finnish, particularly in the context of children’s games such as piilopeli (Hide-and-Seek). In the standard game, one or more players act as piiloutuja by concealing themselves while another player, the etsijä (the seeker), tries to find them.

Etymology and related terms: Piiloutuja follows a common Finnish pattern where the -uja suffix denotes an agent performing the action of the verb stem. A closely related noun is piilottaja, formed from piilottaa (to hide something); piilottaja typically refers to someone who hides an object rather than a person. The distinction reflects the difference between hiding oneself (piiloutuja) and hiding something else (piilottaja).

Usage: The term is mainly used in informal speech and descriptive context rather than formal writing. It appears in discussions of games, childcare, and language about Finnish childhood play. In many sentences, speakers may instead use general phrases like “the person who hides” or simply describe the role as part of the game.

See also: piilopaikka (hiding place), piilopeli (Hide-and-Seek), etsijä (seeker), piiloutuminen (the act of hiding oneself).

Example: Finnish: “Yksi pelaajista toimii piiloutujana, kun muut etsivät.” English: “One of the players acts as the piiloutuja, while the others search.”