puoliajan

Puoliajan is the genitive singular form of puoliaika, the Finnish term for halftime or intermission in a game or event. The base combines puoli meaning “half” and aika meaning “time.” In Finnish usage, puoliajan appears in phrases that refer to the halftime period or its relationship to other elements, such as puoliajan kesto (the duration of halftime) or puoliajan loppu (the end of halftime).

In sports contexts, puoliaika denotes the break between halves or periods during which teams rest, receive instructions, and substitutions may be made according to the competition’s rules. The length of the break varies by sport and league. In association football, the halftime pause is typically about 15 minutes. In other sports, such as ice hockey and basketball, intermissions can differ in duration, commonly around 15 minutes but subject to official regulations.

Puoliajan is mainly a grammatical form used in phrases and headings within sports journalism, schedules, and match reports. It is not usually treated as a separate concept outside these phrases; instead, puoliaika is the standard term for the period itself, while puoliajan appears in constructs describing aspects of that period.

The term illustrates how Finnish uses compound words to describe time segments within events. Its appearance in text typically signals discussion of the break itself, the events during that break, or the transition to the second half or period of play.