kirjoitusasU

Kirjoitusasu is a Finnish term that refers to the written form of a word, name, or term as it appears in writing. It encompasses standard orthography, such as spelling, capitalization, the use of diacritics, punctuation, and hyphenation. The concept is used to indicate the canonical or preferred form to be used in texts, catalogs, and official documents, and it is distinguished from how the word is spoken or pronounced.

In practice, kirjoitusasu is important for consistency and accurate identification across sources. It applies to personal names, place names, organizational names, technical terms, and borrowed forms from other languages. The approved kirjoitusasu may be determined by editorial guidelines, publishers, institutions, or language authorities, and it can differ from informal or historical spellings. When multiple variants exist, editors or researchers may present the canonical kirjoitusasu and note alternatives or historical forms.

The term is common in libraries, archives, and linguistic work, where precise written forms are essential for cataloging, indexing, and searchability. In digital contexts, maintaining a stable kirjoitusasu supports data interoperability, proper search results, and consistent representation across systems, including correct handling of diacritics and Unicode encoding. Overall, kirjoitusasu functions as a reference point for the written representation of names and terms within a language community.