vähäisempi

Vähäisempi is a Finnish comparative adjective meaning “smaller” or “lesser,” used to compare quantities, degrees, or extents that are considered scarce or minor. It expresses that one item has a lesser amount or lesser significance than another. In everyday usage it often contrasts with terms describing size or magnitude, such as pienempi, but it conveys a sense of relative, not absolute, measure.

Etymology and formation: Vähäisempi is formed from the adjective vähäinen (few, scant) with the standard comparative suffix -empi. The base is related to the root vähä-, which comes from the word for “little.” The word follows ordinary Finnish adjective inflection: nominative singular vähäisempi, partitive vähäisempää, genitive vähäisemmän, plural vähäisemmät, and so on.

Usage and nuance: Vähäisempi is appropriate when the emphasis is on comparative degree of quantity or intensity rather than physical size alone. It coexists with synonyms like pienempi when the context concerns physical dimensions, but vähäisempi often carries a nuance of scarcity or lesser extent. The adverbial counterpart for “less” in quantity is yleensä vähemmän; vähäisempi denotes a smaller relative measure of a described quality.

Related terms: The root forms ovat vähäinen, pienempi, vähempi, sekä vähemmän as a general adverbial counterpart. While related, each term has its own typical contexts and nuances in modern Finnish usage.