raskaat

Raskaat is the plural form of the Finnish adjective raskas, meaning heavy, burdensome, or serious. It is used to describe plural nouns and can function in both literal and figurative senses. In normal sentence structure, raskaat accompanies plural nouns in nominative, for example raskaat kuormat (heavy loads), raskaat olosuhteet (difficult conditions), or raskaat päätökset (heavy decisions). In other cases the adjective inflects to match number and case, such as raskaita kuormia in the partitive plural (for example, when describing an ongoing or partial quantity).

Etymology and forms: raskaat derives from the base raskas, which denotes physical heaviness or figurative weight. Finnish adjectives decline for number and case, so the nominative plural ends in -at (raskaat), while the partitive plural ends in -aita or -aita depending on the noun (raskaita kuormia, raskaita uutisia). This pattern is typical for many Finnish adjectives.

Usage: The term is common in everyday language to describe tangible heaviness (weights, loads, equipment) as well as figurative weight (heavy news, heavy responsibilities, heavy workload). In sports or media contexts, raskaat may appear in phrases like raskaat sarjat (heavyweight divisions) to indicate higher weight categories.

Notes: Raskaat is not a standalone proper noun; it functions as a descriptive form and is capitalized only if it begins a sentence or appears in a titled name. It can also appear in compound expressions and idiomatic phrases where heaviness or seriousness is implied.