Avainsana

Avainsana is a Finnish term that refers to a word or short phrase that indicates the main topics or content of a text, document, or data set. In everyday and professional use, avainsana is commonly understood as a keyword or key term used for searching, indexing, and describing information. While similar to the English concept of “keyword,” avainsana is not a general synonym for passwords; the standard Finnish word for a password is salasanä or salasana.

Etymology and scope: the word combines avain, meaning “key,” with sana, meaning “word,” reflecting its role as a key to access or retrieve information. The concept is central in information organization and retrieval, and it appears in library catalogs, databases, content management systems, and scholarly works.

Uses in information retrieval and content organization: avainsanat (the plural form) are used as metadata to label content, facilitate search, and improve discoverability. They appear in scholarly abstracts, catalog records, and website metadata, and are a core component of search engine optimization (SEO) and tagging strategies. Selecting relevant avainsanat helps users find material related to specific topics.

In academic writing and publishing: avainsanat often follow an abstract to summarize the main topics of the work and assist databases in indexing the article. In everyday language, people may use avainsana to refer to a topic or search term when looking for information.

See also: keywords, metadata, tagging.