Asiakirjoilta

Asiakirjoilta is a Finnish term meaning “from the documents.” It is the plural ablative form of asiakirja (document) and is used to indicate the source of information, i.e., derived from documents rather than hearsay. In Finnish journalistic and academic writing, asiakirjoilta is commonly employed to attribute statements to official records, reports, or archival materials.

The phrase frequently appears in headlines or lead sentences, for example: “Asiakirjoilta käy ilmi…” and in sentences such as “Asiakirjoilta selviää, että hallituksen päätös oli kiireellinen.” It signals that the following information rests on primary sources. Beyond reporting, asiakirjoilta can also function as a label for projects, collections, or digital archives that publish or organize documents.

In everyday language, it is used to emphasize the documentary basis for a claim, particularly when contrasting with oral testimony or secondary summaries. The term is part of a broader Finnish practice of citing sources explicitly through nouns derived from documents or archives. It also appears in various cultural or institutional contexts as a descriptive label for material that originates in or derives from documentary sources.

Related terms include asiakirja (document), arkisto (archive), and lähde (source).