aikainen

aika (“time”) +‎ -(h)inen

• IPA^(key): /ˈɑi̯kɑi̯nen/, [ˈɑ̝i̯kɑ̝i̯ne̞n]
• Rhymes: -ɑikɑinen
• Syllabification^(key): ai‧kai‧nen
• Hyphenation^(key): ai‧kai‧nen

aikainen (comparative aikaisempi, superlative aikaisin)

1. early (near the start of the day; arriving at a time before expected; at a time in advance of the usual)

   Synonym: varhainen

   Aikainen lintu madon nappaa.

   An early bird catches the worm.

   On kovin aikaista.

   It's quite early.

2. synonym of varhainen (“near the start or beginning of a project, etc.”)
3. (not comparable, genitive +) taking place during, occurring during

   ruokailun aikainen välikohtaus ― an incident that took place during a meal

   Raskauden aikaista tupakointia tulee välttää.

   One shall avoid smoking during pregnancy.

4. (not comparable, genitive and/or possessive suffix +) from the times of

   Synonym: aikuinen

   Tämä viinipullo on Napoleonin aikainen.

   This bottle of wine is from the times of Napoleon.

Compared to varhainen, aikainen tends to mean “early” in the senses “near the start of the day”, “at a time in advance of the usual” and “arriving a time before expected”, as opposed to “near the start or beginning (of an era, career, etc.)”.

• myöhäinen

• aikana

• “aikainen”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎^[1] (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 2 July 2023