Estonian Adjectives & Comparisons
Describing and comparing things makes your Estonian far more expressive. Here are common adjectives — tall, short, fast, slow, strong, weak, wide, narrow — plus the words for “more”, “less” and “than”, each with native audio, so you can build comparatives and superlatives.
Read them out loud
Estonian is phonetic — words are said the way they’re written. Tap the speaker on any word to hear a native voice, and remember that doubled letters (aa, öö, ss) are simply held longer. New to the sounds? Start with the alphabet & pronunciation guide.
Estonian Adjectives & Comparisons: words & phrases
37 words · tap the speaker to hear each one.
| Audio | Estonian | English | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| kõrge | high, tall | gen. kõrge, part. kõrget; comp. kõrgem · vs pikk — kõrge = high/tall for objects (buildings, mountains); pikk = tall for a person's height. | |
| madal | low, shallow | gen. madala, part. madalat | |
| pikk | long, tall | gen. pika, part. pikka · vs kõrge — pikk = long, and tall for people; kõrge = high/tall for buildings and objects. | |
| lühike | short | gen. lühikese, part. lühikest | |
| kiire | fast, quick | gen. kiire, part. kiiret; also noun "hurry | |
| aeglane | slow | gen. aeglase, part. aeglast; antonym kiire | |
| tugev | strong, firm | gen. tugeva, part. tugevat · vs kõva — tugev = strong (force, power, a person); kõva = hard, firm to the touch. | |
| nõrk | weak | gen. nõrga, part. nõrka | |
| raske | heavy, difficult | gen. raske, part. rasket | |
| kerge | light, easy | gen. kerge, part. kerget | |
| lai | wide, broad | gen. laia, part. laia | |
| kitsas | narrow | gen. kitsa, part. kitsast; antonym lai | |
| halvem | worse | comparative of halb | |
| rohkemcommon | more | comparative of palju; antonym vähem | |
| vähem | less | comparative of vähe; antonym rohkem | |
| samacommon | same | gen./part. sama | |
| kuicommon | than, as, when | comparative use: pikem kui = taller than | |
| võrdlema | to compare | -d-r gradation (võrdleb, võrdlesin) | |
| sügav | deep | gen. sügava, part. sügavat; comp. sügavam | |
| puhas | clean, pure | gen. puhta, part. puhast; comp. puhtam | |
| räpane | dirty, filthy | gen. räpase, part. räpast; comp. räpasem | |
| kuiv | dry | gen. kuiva, part. kuiva; comp. kuivem | |
| märg | wet, damp | gen. märja, part. märga; comp. märjem · vs niiske — märg = wet, soaked; niiske = damp, slightly moist. | |
| pehme | soft, tender | gen. pehme, part. pehmet; comp. pehmem | |
| kõva | hard, firm | gen. kõva, part. kõva; comp. kõvem · vs tugev — kõva = hard/firm texture; tugev = strong (force, a strong person). | |
| tark | smart, clever | gen. targa, part. tarka; comp. targem · vs nutikas, kaval — tark = wise/smart; nutikas = clever/ingenious; kaval = cunning, sly (often negative). | |
| rumal | stupid, silly | gen. rumala, part. rumalat; comp. rumalam · vs loll — both "stupid"; rumal = foolish/silly; loll is blunter and more insulting. | |
| kole | ugly | gen. koleda, part. koledat; comp. koledam | |
| vaikne | quiet, silent | gen. vaikse, part. vaikset; comp. vaiksem · vs rahulik — vaikne = quiet, making no sound; rahulik = calm, peaceful. | |
| magus | sweet | gen. magusa, part. magusat; comp. magusam | |
| hapu | sour | gen. hapu, part. haput; comp. hapum | |
| mõru | bitter | gen. mõru, part. mõru; comp. mõrum | |
| värske | fresh | gen. värske, part. värsket; comp. värskem | |
| täis | full | gen. täie, part. täit; comp. täiem | |
| tühi | empty | gen. tühja, part. tühja; comp. tühjem | |
| nüri | blunt, dull | gen. nüri, part. nüri; comp. nürim | |
| kõigecommon | the most | superlative marker; also gen. of kõik "all |
Read a real Estonian sentence
Built only from words you’d know by this point in the Selgeks course — proof these words add up to real Estonian.
Pääsu on nüüd tugevam kui Hall Mees — ta on kiirem ja targem! Täna ta lendab koos tuulega itta ning otsib kõige tähtsamat laulu. Vanad laulud on ilusamad kui uued, ning Pääsu laul on kõige ilusam laul Eestis. Õhtul me laulame suurt laulu ja joome külma vett.
Frequently asked questions
Most adjectives add -m to the genitive stem — suur → suurem (“big → bigger”). The superlative uses kõige + the comparative: kõige suurem (“the biggest”).
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