Viivanvälillä

Viivanvälillä is a Finnish expression that denotes the space or area between lines, whether in text, objects, or other sequences. The word combines viiva (line) and väli (between) and is commonly understood in both literal and metaphorical senses. Literally, it can refer to the space separating lines of text on a page, though Finnish typographic practice more often uses riviväli to describe line spacing.

Metaphorically, viivanvälillä is used to describe meanings or boundaries that lie between explicit statements. It signals subtext, nuance, or ambiguity that requires interpretation rather than straightforward reading. In literary criticism, journalism and everyday language, the phrase highlights what is not directly written but can be inferred from context or the arrangement of ideas.

In culture and discourse, the concept is frequently employed to evoke liminal or in-between spaces—where ethics, politics, or personal interpretations exist beyond the stated text. It is also used, in a more poetic or artistic register, as a title or motif to suggest subtleties, tension, or hidden layers beneath surface appearances.

See also: reading between the lines; riviväli (line spacing) and rivien välistä (between the lines) as related Finnish expressions.