räägija

Räägija is an Estonian noun derived from the verb rääkima, meaning to talk, with the agent noun suffix -ja. It denotes a person who talks, speaks, or narrates. In neutral use it can refer to a speaker or a narrator, for example in formal contexts such as a tour guide or a moderator, where the focus is on the act of speaking.

In everyday language räägija often carries a colloquial or pejorative shade, describing someone who talks a lot or repeats gossip. The expression ta on suur räägija (“he/she is a big talker”) conveys a sense of nuisance or excess, though it can also be used lightheartedly among friends.

In Estonian folklore and culture, räägija can also mean a storyteller or narrator who recounts tales, legends, or personal experiences to an audience. In this sense, the term emphasizes narrative skill and the act of conveying stories, rather than merely speaking.

Related terms include jutuvestja, a standard word for a storyteller, and, in casual speech, other forms tied to speaking or storytelling. The word is inflected according to standard Estonian noun declension, with plural Aussagen: räägija, räägijad.

See term thus encompasses both everyday descriptors of talkative behavior and more specialized meanings in storytelling and narration, depending on context and tone.