handschriftlichen

Handschnitftlich is a German adjective meaning written by hand rather than produced by printing or typing. The inflected form handschriftlichen is used before a noun in various cases and genders, for example: handschriftliche Notizen (handwritten notes) or in den handschriftlichen Quellen (in the handwritten sources). The base form handschriftlich can also function as a predicate or adverb, as in Die Notizen sind handschriftlich.

In archival, historical, and philological contexts the term designates original handwritten documents or passages as opposed to printed copies, transcriptions, or typewritten texts. Such sources are central to paleography, the study of historical handwriting, script styles, abbreviations, and dating. Manuscripts may be written on parchment or paper and can exhibit a variety of scripts, including medieval hands and later forms such as Kurrentschrift or Sütterlin in German-speaking regions. Examining handschriftliche Quellen often requires specialized skills to decipher script, preserve legibility, and interpret abbreviations and scribal conventions.

In modern usage, the concept persists even as digitization, OCR, and transcription become common. The term handschriftliche is frequently used to contrast original drafts, notes, or letters with printed, typeset, or digitally produced versions. Beyond scholarly use, it appears in everyday language to emphasize the manual origin of a document, such as handschriftliche Entwürfe (handwritten drafts) or handschriftliche Briefe (handwritten letters). The word stems from Handschrift (handwriting) and -lich, forming a standard German adjective.