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oikea. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
oikea, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
oikea in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
oikea you have here. The definition of the word
oikea will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
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Finnish
Etymology
From Proto-Finnic *oikëda, from Proto-Finno-Permic *wojketa (“straight”). Cognate with Estonian õige and Erzya виде (viďe), вить (viť).
Semantic development
- The original sense was "straight".
- "straight" → "right, correct": has parallels in other languages, e.g. Latin rēctus and English right from "straight" to "right, correct"
- "right, correct" → "right (opposite of left)": most people are right-handed, so the right hand is the better hand for most people; compare Estonian parem (“right (opposite of left)”), cognate with Finnish parempi (“better”)); English right, likewise, has developed the same sense in the same fashion.
Pronunciation
Adjective
oikea (comparative oikeampi, superlative oikein)
- right (opposite of left)
- Antonym: vasen
Käytä oikeaa kättäsi.- Use your right hand.
- right, correct (morally good, acceptable; free from error, true; opposite of wrong)
- Antonym: väärä
Se oli oikea vastaus.- It was a correct answer.
Annen vastaus on oikeampi kuin minun.- Anne's answer is more correct than mine.
- appropriate, proper, fitting
- Synonyms: sopiva, asianmukainen
- real, true
- Synonyms: todellinen, aito
Ovatko nämä oikeita mustikoita?- Are these real bilberries?
Pinokkiosta tuli oikea poika.- Pinocchio became a real boy.
Samu Sirkka on oikea ystävä.- Jiminy Cricket is a true friend.
- just, fair (more often as the adverb oikein)
- Synonyms: oikein (adverb, more common), oikeudenmukainen
- (archaic or dialectal) right, straight, not bent or crooked
- Synonym: suora
Usage notes
- The superlatives oikein and väärin are rarely appropriate, because right and wrong are often understood as absolutes, and because of the homonymy with much more frequently used adverbs. People tend to circumvent them by saying eniten väärä, lähinnä oikeaa and eniten oikea, choosing another adjective if available (e.g. kiero, oikeanpuoleinen, oikeellinen) or using kaikista as a determiner.
Declension
Derived terms
References
Further reading