tiukat

Tiukat is a Finnish adjective form, functioning as the plural nominative of tiukka. The base sense of tiukka is “tight” or “close-fitting,” but it also carries figurative meanings such as “strict” or “rigid.” Consequently, tiukat can describe physical fit (clothing, spaces) as well as abstract strictness (policies, deadlines, rules).

In everyday language the word appears in contexts such as tiukat housut (tight pants), tiukat säännöt (strict rules), or tiukat aikataulut (tight schedules). The sense of tightness or restrictiveness is determined by the noun it modifies and by surrounding context. The adverbial form tiukasti expresses manner, as in “käveli tiukasti” (walked tightly/steadfastly). Finnish grammar also allows comparative and superlative forms of tiukka, resulting in forms like tiukempi and tiukimmat, depending on number and case.

Etymology and related terms: tiukka derives from Proto-Finnic roots for tightness, and the word family includes tiukkuus (tightness, strictness) and tiukennus (tightening). The term is common in both everyday speech and written Finnish, with the precise nuance shifting between the literal and the figurative depending on context.

See also: tiukka, tiukkuus, tiukentua. The word is widely used across Finnish dialects and registers, from casual conversation to formal writing, and it interacts with a range of synonyms depending on the nuance desired (tight, close-fitting, strict, stringent).