östliga

Östliga is a Swedish adjective meaning eastern, or pertaining to the east. It is used to describe nouns that are located in or associated with the east relative to a defined reference point, such as a country, region, or area. The form östlig follows the standard Swedish adjective agreement and, in the plural, appears as östliga (for example östliga länderna, the eastern countries). Its comparative and superlative forms are östligare and östligast, respectively.

Etymology and form. Östliga derives from öst, the Swedish word for east, combined with the common adjectival suffix -lig, which conveys the sense of being characteristic of or relating to. The root öst has cognates in other Germanic languages and traces back to ancient terms for the eastern direction. The adjectival pattern is typical for forming geographic or descriptive terms in Swedish.

Usage. Östliga is commonly used in formal, academic, or descriptive prose to denote geographic or cultural orientation toward the east. In everyday language, speakers might instead use the more direct östra (the eastern) for certain phrases, but östliga remains a correct and standard option, especially before plural nouns or in compound expressions like östliga kulturer or östliga regioner. It can be contrasted with västliga (western) and nordliga/sydliga (northern/southern) as part of directional descriptors.

See also. East (geographic direction), Swedish grammar, geographical terminology.