íks

Üks is the Estonian word for the cardinal number 1. It functions as a numeral and as an indefinite determiner meaning “a single” or “one.” It typically precedes a noun to indicate a single item, as in üks inimene (one person), and can also appear as a standalone pronoun meaning “one” in general statements or in phrases such as üks ja sama (the one and the same) or üks kord (one time). In many constructions it forms part of common expressions and idioms.

Pronunciation and spelling: Üks is written with the letter ü and is pronounced roughly as a single syllable, with the ü representing a close front rounded vowel. The approximate IPA pronunciation is [ˈyks].

Etymology: The word is of Finno-Ugric origin and is cognate with the Finnish yksi (one). It is part of a family of numerals in the Finnic branch that share a common ancestor in Proto-Finnic.

Usage and grammar: In Estonian, cardinal numerals like üks agree with the noun they modify in terms of case and number, and they appear in a variety of syntactic positions, including attributive and predicative uses. The word is frequent in everyday language, pricing, counting, and expressions of sequence or repetition, such as üks kord or üks inimene.

See also: Estonian language, Numbers in Estonian, Finnish yksi, Finno-Ugric languages.