Compound Adjectives: hyvännäköinen mutta pahanhajuinen
March 30, 2021
June 1, 2021
This article’s focus is on compound adjectives. A compound word is a word that consists of two parts, glued together (e.g. jää+kaappi; jää+kylmä). In this article — as the title says — we will look at compound adjectives like hyvännäköinen and pahanhajuinen.
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- What are compound adjectives?
- Construction patterns of compound adjectives
- Words that are built the same way as in English
- More creatively built words
- Written as one or more words?
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1. What is a Compound Adjective?
Compound adjectives consist of the following parts:
- Their first part is generally an adjective, which is sometimes inflected in the genitive case (e.g. musta+tukkainen, hyvän+näköinen; saman+hintainen)
- Their second part consists of a noun that’s been turned in an adjective by adding -inen (e.g. koko “size > -kokoinen “sized”; silmä “eye” > -silmäinen “eyed”)
2. Construction Patterns of Compound Adjectives
The next section contains random words, their translation and a word combination that mirrors the translated Finnish compound word. For example, the adjective monimutkainen translates to “complicated” in English, but literally it means “multicurved”. It consists of the words moni “many, multi” and mutka “bend, curve”. The “word + word” column in the table below contains “many + curve” in order to give you an idea of what the word means literally.
2.1. Words that are built the same way as in English
This first section contains words that are a combination of the same words in English and in Finnish. For example, in Finnish, the term for an underaged child is alaikäinen lapsi. Just like in English, alaikäinen is built from the words “under” (ala) and “age” (ikä). Between brackets, I’ve added a noun which could be used in combination with the adjective.
| Finnish | English | Word + word |
|---|---|---|
| alaikäinen | underage, minor (child) | under + age |
| epätasainen | uneven, bumpy, rugged (terrain) | non + even |
| epätäydellinen | imperfect, incomplete (memory) | non + perfect |
| epäolennainen | irrelevant (question) | non + relevant |
| heikkotehoinen | low-powered (system) | weak + power |
| huonokuuloinen | hard of hearing (person) | bad + hearing |
| huonolaatuinen | poor quality (product) | bad + quality |
| kasvipohjainen | plant-based (food) | plant + base |
| keskiluokkainen | middle class (upbringing) | middle + class |
| korkealaatuinen | high quality (education) | high + quality |
| korkeapaineinen | high-pressure (air) | high + pressure |
| kovakantinen | hardbound, hardcover (book) | hard + cover |
| kuumaverinen | passionate, hot-blooded (person) | hot + blood |
| lyhythihainen | short-sleeved (shirt) | short + sleeve |
| matalapaineinen | low-pressure (gas) | low + pressure |
| monikulttuurinen | multicultural (society) | many + culture |
| monivaiheinen | multiphase (plan) | many + phase |
| nopeatahtinen | fast-paced (movie) | fast + pace |
| nopealiikkeinen | fast moving (opponent) | fast + movement |
| normaalipainoinen | normal weight (patient) | normal + weight |
| pienjännitteinen | low-voltage, low-tension | small + voltage |
| pitkäaikainen | prolonged, long-time | long + time |
| pitkähihainen | long-sleeved (shirt) | long + sleeve |
| pitkäjalkainen | long-legged (youngster) | long + leg |
| puoliautomaattinen | semi-automatic, self-loading (rifle) | half + automatic |
| puolijulkinen | semipublic (secret) | half + public |
| puolisalainen | semi-secret (meeting) | half + secret |
| pyöreäkasvoinen | round-faced (child) | round + face |
| pyöreäsilmäinen | round-eyed (puppy) | round + eye |
| suklaakuorrutteinen | chocolate coated (cookie) | chocolate + coating |
| suklaatäytteinen | chocolate filled (cake) | chocolate + filling |
| suurjännitteinen | high-voltage (battery) | large + voltage |
| suurikaliiperinen | large-caliber (weapon) | large + caliber |
| täysautomaattinen | fully-automatic (system) | full + automatic |
| pitkäaaltoinen | long-wave (radiation) | long + wave |
| ylipainoinen | overweight (person) | over + weight |
2.2. More creatively built words
The following table contains words that follow the same principle as the words in the table below. However, these are words where the English word doesn’t have the same type of construction as in Finnish.
| Finnish | English | Word + word |
|---|---|---|
| ansiosidonnainen | bound/proportional to income (pension) | earnings + bind |
| asiapainotteinen | fact-oriented, focusing on facts (text) | fact + emphasis |
| edestakainen | back and forth (movement) | forward + behind |
| ennakkoluuloinen | biased, prejudiced (view) | advance + belief |
| epäuskoinen | incredulous, unbelieving, skeptical (person) | non + belief |
| epäyhtenäinen | disjointed, disordered, heterogenous (team) | non + uniform |
| etukäteinen | advance, prior (payment) | front + cash |
| harhaluuloinen | delusional (patient) | illusion + belief |
| heikkohermoinen | nervy, jumpy, highly strung (person) | weak + nerve |
| helppotajuinen | easily understandable, intelligible (text) | easy + grasp |
| herkkätunteinen | sensitive, emotionally fragile (child) | sensitive + feeling |
| hidasälyinen | obtuse, slow-witted, dense (idiot) | slow + intellect |
| hienotunteinen | tactful, considerate, discreet (answer) | fine + feeling |
| huono-osainen | disadvantaged (socially/economically) | bad + part |
| huonotuulinen | bad-tempered, ill-humored (person) | bad + wind |
| hyväkäytöksinen | well-behaved, mannerly (boy) | good + behavior |
| hyvämaineinen | reputable; prestigious (politician) | good + reputation |
| hyväuskoinen | gullible, credulous, simple (customer) | good + belief |
| itsekeskeinen | egocentric, selfish (girl) | self + center |
| kaksikerroksinen | double-decker; two-story (building) | two + layer |
| kaksiselitteinen | equivocal, explainable in two ways (claim) | two + definition |
| kaksiteräinen | double-edged (sword) | two + edge |
| kallisarvoinen | precious, valuable (present) | expensive + worth |
| keskiaikainen | medieval (discovery) | middle + age |
| kolmikerroksinen | three-layer; three-story (house) | three + layer |
| kotivalmisteinen | homemade (beer) | home + preparation |
| kovaotteinen | hard-handed, rough (approach) | hard + grip |
| liikkumisrajoitteinen | restricted in mobility (person) | movement + limit |
| lujahermoinen | coolheaded, mettlesome (salesperson) | solid + nerve |
| lujaotteinen | heavy-handed, rough (father) | firm + grip |
| lyhytkestoinen | short-lived, temporary (peace) | short + duration |
| lämpöeristeinen | thermally insulated (building) | heat + insulation |
| monikerroksinen | multilevel, multistory (mall) | many + layer |
| monikäyttöinen | multipurpose (machine) | many + use |
| monimerkityksinen | polysemantic, with many meanings (word) | many + meaning |
| monimutkainen | complicated (system) | many + curve |
| omaleimainen | distinctive, typical (approach) | own + stamp |
| omarahoitteinen | self-financed (project) | own + funding |
| pahaenteinen | ominous, sinister, ill-fated (event) | evil + omen |
| pahamaineinen | notorious, infamous, ill-famed (person) | evil + reputation |
| pakkomielteinen | obsessive, manic, compulsive (behavior) | compulsion + conception |
| pitkävaikutteinen | long-acting, long-lasting (medicin) | long + influence |
| pitkäkestoinen | lengthy, prolonged, sustained (situation) | long + duration |
| puhevikainen | speech impaired (patient) | speech + defect |
| raskasaseinen | heavy-armed, heavily armed (soldier) | heavy + weapon |
| runsasnesteinen | rich in liquid (fruit) | abundant + liquid |
| suoraviivainen | linear, straightforward (solution) | straight + line |
| suurimerkityksinen | significant, important (decision) | large + meaning |
| tehdasvalmisteinen | factory-made, prefabricated (product) | factory + preparation |
| tietokoneavusteinen | computer-assisted, computer-aided (design) | computer + helped |
| täysi-ikäinen | adult (woman) | full + age |
| varmaotteinen | sure-handed, confident (professional) | sure + grip |
| lyhytvaikutteinen | short-acting (drug) | short + influence |
| nopeavaikutteinen | fast-acting (injection) | fast + influence |
| pintapuolinen | superficial, cursory, perfunctory (research) | surface + side |
| mielipuolinen | insane (laughter) | mind + half |
| taikauskoinen | superstitious (villager) | magic + belief |
| perhekeskeinen | family-oriented (man) | family + center |
| pitkävihainen | unforgiving, unappeasable (wife) | long + angry |
| selvärajainen | clearly defined (methodology) | clear + limit |
| suorasanainen | outspoken, blunt, direct (friend) | straight + word |
| tilannesidonnainen | situational, tied to a situation (solution) | situation + bind |
| toissijainen | secondary, lesser (matter) | second + position |
| tunnepohjainen | emotional (decision) | feeling + base |
| vaikeakäsitteinen | difficult to understand or conceptualize (topic) | difficult + concept |
| vaikeatajuinen | abstract, abstract, cryptic (presentation) | difficult + grasp |
| vainoharhainen | paranoid (person) | persecution + delusion |
| vakavarainen | financially sound (family) | stable + resource |
| vesiohenteinen | water-soluble (paint) | water + thinner |
| vilkasliikenteinen | traveled, busy, bustling (city) | lively + traffic |
| vähäliikenteinen | low-traffic (road) | little + traffic |
| vähämerkityksinen | non-significant, minor (implication) | little + meaning |
| vähäoireinen | asymptomatic (patient) | little + symptom |
| vähävarainen | poor, lacking money (family) | little + resource |
| yli-inhimillinen | superhuman (strength) | over + human |
| ylösalainen | upside down (position) | upwards + down |
| haudanhiljainen | silent as the grave (church) | grave + silent |
| hiirenhiljainen | quiet as a mouse (lapsi) | mouse + silent |
| tuulensuojainen | windproof (place) | wind + sheltered |
| kuolemantakainen | posthumous, after death (life) | death + behind |
| haudantakainen | posthumous, after the grave (life) | grave + behind |
| rajantakainen | behind the border, cross-border (neighbor) | border + behind |
| merentakainen | overseas (event) | sea + behind |
| mielenvikainen | insane, mad (person) | mind + defect |
| lainvoimainen | lawful, non-appealable, final (decision) | law + force |
| syyntakeinen | guilty, criminally responsible (criminal) | reason + guarantee |
| ajantasainen | up-to-date (statistics) | time + level |
| sodanjälkeinen | postwar (rebuilding) | war + after |
| kuolemanjälkeinen | post-mortem, posthumous (life) | death + after |
| käytännönläheinen | practical, down-to-earth (approach) | practice + close |
| hopeanvärinen | silver-colored (ring) | silver + color |
| voitonriemuinen | triumphant, rejoicing (sportsman) | victory + joy |
| suonensisäinen | intravascular, intravenous (needle) | vein + inside |
| solunsisäinen | intracellular (receptor) | cell + inside |
| kuunpaisteinen | moonlit (landscape) | moon + shine |
| vahingoniloinen | fleeful, gloating (person) | harm + happy |
| sydämenmuotoinen | heart-shaped (box) | heart + shape |
| pahantuulinen | bad-tempered, grumpy, sullen (youngster) | bad + wind |
| hyväntuulinen | good-humored, in a good mood (woman) | good + wind |
| tähtienvälinen | interstellar (travel) | stars + inter |
| kostonhimoinen | vindictive, vengeful (criminal) | revenge + desire |
| murhanhimoinen | murderous, homicidal (maniac) | murder + desire |
| vallanhimoinen | power-hungry, greedy for power (politician) | power + desire |
| verenhimoinen | bloodthirsty, eager to shed blood (fighter) | blood + desire |
| silkinpehmoinen | silky soft (skin) | silk + soft |
| tiedonjanoinen | inquisitive, eager to acquire knowledge (child) | information + thirst |
| hyväntahtoinen | well-meaning, well-intentioned (mother) | good + will |
| velvollisuudentuntoinen | dutiful, duteous, does one’s duty (employee) | obligation + feel |
| vastuuntuntoinen | responsible, takes responsibility (worker) | responsibility + feel |
3. Written as One or More Words?
Below, you can find the rules for when such a compound adjective is written as one word and when it is written as two words. This is an issue native Finnish speakers struggle with and learn the rules for in school. I think that — if a Finn makes a mistake in something — it’s acceptable for YOU to also make the same mistake. Let go of perfection!
That said, here are the rules for writing compound adjectives as one word or two separate words:
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- If the first word is a short adjective, the compound adjective will usually be one word (1)
- If the first words is a longer adjective, the compound adjective is usually two words (2)
- If the first word is a noun, the compound adjective is usually two words (3)
- If the first part consists of several words, the compound adjective will contain multiple separate words (4)
- If the first word is a noun, but the compound adjective’s meaning is fossilized, it can be one word (5)
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Words marked with a * can be written both as one and as two words according to Kielitoimiston sanakirja. The numbers correspond to the rules mentioned above in the list with stars.
| # | Finnish | English |
|---|---|---|
| hintainen – priced | ||
| 1 | minkähintainen | what price |
| 1 | samanhintainen* | similarly priced |
| 2 | sopivan hintainen | suitably priced |
| 3 | euron hintainen | priced at one euro |
| 4 | yhdeksän euron hintainen | priced at nine euros |
| arvoinen – worth | ||
| 1 | samanarvoinen* | equal, worth the same |
| 1 | kallisarvoinen | precious |
| 3 | luottamuksen arvoinen | trustworthy |
| 4 | tuhannen euron arvoinen | worth one thousand euros |
| 5 | kullanarvoinen* | worth its weight in gold |
| kokoinen – sized | ||
| 1 | isokokoinen | big, large sized |
| 1 | erikokoinen | of a different size |
| 2 | sopivan kokoinen | of a suitable size |
| 3 | kerrostalon kokoinen | the size of an apartment building |
| 3 | Helsingin kokoinen | the size of Helsinki |
| korkuinen – height | ||
| 1 | samankorkuinen* | of the same height |
| 2 | sopivan korkuinen | the right height |
| 3 | talon korkuinen | as tall as a house |
| 4 | viiden metrin korkuinen | of a height of five meters |
| pituinen – length | ||
| 1 | vääränpituinen | of the wrong length |
| 3 | tulitikun pituinen | the length of a matchstick |
| 4 | sadan vuoden pituinen | a hundred years long |
| hajuinen – smelling | ||
| 1 | pahanhajuinen | malodorous, smelly |
| 2 | voimakkaan hajuinen | strong smelling |
| 3 | pihkan hajuinen | smelling of pitch |
| makuinen – flavored | ||
| 1 | hyvänmakuinen* | good-flavored, good tasting |
| 2 | katkeran makuinen* | bitter tasting |
| 3 | jalapenon makuinen | jalapeno-flavored |
| 5 | paperinmakuinen | tasting like paper |
| näköinen – looking | ||
| 1 | hauskannäköinen* | nice-looking, comely |
| 2 | omituisen näköinen | weird-looking |
| 3 | isänsä näköinen | looking like his father |
| tuntuinen – feeling | ||
| 1 | hyväntuntuinen | pleasant, feels good |
| 2 | tervejärkisen tuntuinen | feels sensible |
| 5 | todentuntuinen | life-like, feels real |
| oloinen – seeming, perceiving | ||
| 1 | pienenoloinen | seeming to be small |
| 2 | kireän oloinen | seeming to be tense |
| 2 | väsyneen oloinen | tired-looking |
| 3 | ammattitaitoisen oloinen | professional-looking |
| 4 | pienen lapsen oloinen | similar to a small child |
| mittainen – sized | ||
| 1 | ylimittainen | oversized |
| 4 | kymmenen sentin mittainen | ten centimeters long |
| 4 | koko päivän mittainen | the length of a whole day |
| muotoinen – shaped | ||
| 1 | pienimuotoinen | small-scale |
| 1 | L-muotoinen | shaped like an L |
| 3 | neliön muotoinen | square-shaped |
| 5 | sydämenmuotoinen | heart-shaped |
| aikainen – time | ||
| 1 | lyhytaikainen | short-term, brief, fleeting |
| 4 | koko elämän aikainen | life-long |
| 5 | sodanaikainen* | wartime (e.g. rations) |
| 5 | lapsuudenaikainen | childhood (e.g. friend) |
| mukainen – according to | ||
| 4 | teknisen sopimuksen mukainen | according to the technical contract |
| 5 | tavanmukainen | according to our customs, normal |
| 5 | tarpeenmukainen | according to need, as necessary |
| tyyppinen – type | ||
| 1 | tietyntyyppinen* | of a certain type |
| 2 | vastaavan tyyppinen* | of a similar type |
| 3 | betonin tyyppinen | of a concrete type |
| värinen – colored | ||
| 1 | hopeanvärinen | silver-colored |
| 2 | kauniin värinen* | beautifully colored |
| 3 | kastanjan värinen | chestnut colored |
| 4 | keväisen koivikon värinen | the color of a spring birch |
| 5 | ihonvärinen | skin-colored |
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