suuntaisen

Suuntaisen is a Finnish adjective meaning directional or oriented. It is derived from the noun suunta “direction” by means of the common -inen suffix that forms adjectives describing a characteristic. The base form of the adjective is suuntainen, and suuntaisen is the genitive singular form used when the adjective modifies a noun in the genitive case or appears in fixed expressions.

In Finnish, adjectives inflect for number and case. The form suuntaisen is most often encountered before a noun in genitive: for example, suuntaisen mittauksen tulokset, meaning “the results of a directional measurement.” Other inflected forms of suuntainen include suuntaista (partitive singular), suuntaisten (genitive plural), suuntaisessa (inessive singular), among others. The word therefore functions primarily as a descriptive modifier whose exact ending depends on the grammatical role of the noun it accompanies.

Usage and scope of meaning are typically technical or descriptive. Suuntaisen can describe physical properties aligned with a particular direction, such as directional sensors or beams oriented toward a target, or more abstract notions of orientation in fields like cartography, physics, or linguistics. In everyday Finnish, the more common everyday form of the adjective is suuntainen; suuntaisen tends to appear in written, formal, or specialized contexts where grammatical agreement requires the genitive singular form.

See also: suunta (direction), suuntainen (base adjective), orientation, directional.