Kuvituksena

Kuvituksena is a Finnish word meaning “as an illustration” or “for illustration.” It is the essive form of the noun kuvitus (illustration, depiction) and is used to indicate that something serves a visual or explanatory purpose rather than being a factual part of the main text.

In publishing and media, kuvituksena is commonly used to introduce or describe illustration material. It appears in captions, editorials, and manuals to distinguish illustrative content from the core information. For example, sentences such as “Kuvituksena käytetään vanhaa karttaa” or “Kuvituksena oleva kuva näyttää…” illustrate its role as an example or visual aid rather than a statement of fact. The related noun kuvitus refers to the illustration itself, while kuvituksena describes its function.

Etymologically, kuvituksena is built from kuvitus (illustration) and the essive suffix -na, which expresses a temporary state or role, here “as an illustration.” This form is part of Finnish grammar that uses essive constructions to indicate the role or circumstance of a subject.

Related terms include kuvituskuva (an illustrative image) and kuvitella (to imagine), from which kuvitus derives. While kuvituksena emphasizes the illustrative purpose, it should be distinguished from terms that denote factual content or hypothetical scenarios; its primary function is to mark content as illustrative rather than definitive.