vierailijo

Vierailijo is not a standard Finnish noun in its own right. In Finnish, the word for a visitor is vierailija, with the plural form vierailijat. The form vierailijo may appear only as a stem inside inflected forms such as vierailijoiden (genitive plural) or vierailijoita (partitive plural), or inside compounds. As a standalone entry, vierailijo is not considered correct vocabulary in standard Finnish.

Etymology and morphology: vierailija is formed from the noun vierailu (the act of visiting) with the agentive suffix -ija. The plural vierailijat follows the usual -jat pattern for consonant gradation and pluralization in Finnish. Because Finnish inflection relies on endings, a bare form like vierailijo is typically an incomplete stem rather than a proper word.

Usage and guidance: In writing and speech, use vierailija for a single visitor and vierailijat for several visitors. Examples: Tilaisuudessa oli paljon vierailijoita. Saapuneet vierailijat merkittiin listalle. If you encounter vierailijo without a concluding ending, it is usually either a nonstandard form or the stem used only within a larger inflected form, not a standalone noun.

See also: vierailu, the act of visiting; vierailla, to visit; vieras, guest.