sellaisen

Sellainen is a Finnish demonstrative determiner and adjective meaning “such” or “that kind of.” It is used to describe a noun or to refer to a type or quality of something that has been mentioned or is evident from context. In Finnish, sellainen behaves like other -nen adjectives and changes form to agree with case and number.

The form sellaisen is the genitive singular, used before a noun in genitive to express “of such a …” or to modify a noun in that case. For example, Sellaisen auton hinta on korkea means “The price of such a car is high.” In the nominative singular, the word is sellainen, as in Sellainen auto ei ole minulle, “Such a car isn’t for me.” Other case forms include sellaista (partitive) and sellaisesta, sellaisessa, sellaiselle, and so on, reflecting standard Finnish adjective declension patterns.

Usage notes and nuances: sellainen often contrasts with türm iki, such as hän käytti erilaisia sanoja to emphasis but remains close to English “such.” It can refer to things already described or assumed in the conversation, and it can be used with both concrete and abstract nouns. It is common in everyday Finnish, both in spoken and written language, and it is often interchangeable with tämmöinen/tällainen in contexts describing a type or quality. Sellainen tends to convey a sense of specificity about the kind being discussed, rather than naming an exact item.

See also: Finnish grammar, demonstratives, adjective declension.