yleinen

Yleinen is a Finnish adjective meaning general, common, or universal. It describes characteristics, statements, or phenomena that apply broadly rather than to a single case. In everyday language, yleinen can refer to broad concepts, rather than something specific or exceptional.

Common constructs include yleinen tieto (general knowledge), yleinen väestö (general population), yleinen käytäntö (general practice), and yleinen turvallisuus (general safety). In education, yleissivistävä koulutus is a related term indicating broad-based general education as opposed to vocational training.

Grammatically, yleinen is declined like other Finnish adjectives. In nominative singular: yleinen; genitive: yleisen; partitive: yleistä; plural forms include yleiset (nominative), yleisten (genitive), yleisiä (partitive).

It is a native Finnish word formed with the suffix -nen. The root yleis- expresses a broad or public sense; the word is not borrowed from another language. Yleinen is commonly used in formal, administrative, and educational contexts as a general descriptor.

In linguistic discussions, yleinen is often contrasted with erityinen (special) to differentiate general concepts from specific ones.