käsikirjoittaa

käsikirjoittaa is a Finnish verb that literally means "to write by hand." The word derives from käsi (“hand”) and kirjoittaa (“to write”), reflecting the act of writing with a pen or pencil as opposed to typing on a computer or entering text electronically. In everyday Finnish usage the term typically refers to the manual act of writing notes, letters, or documents. It can also be employed in a broader literary sense, indicating the drafting of a manuscript or script: for example, a novelist may say that they are käsikirjoittamassa a new novel.

The noun form, käsikirjoitus, has two main senses. Historically it denoted a handwritten document, especially a historical manuscript, and still appears in phrases such as vanha käsikirjoitus (old manuscript). In contemporary contexts it most commonly refers to a printed copy of a play, screenplay, or other written work that is ready for production, often distinct from the digital file version.

käsikirjoittaa is a regular verb in Finnish, forming the past tense käsen kirjoittanut and the passive voice käsikirjoitettu. It is frequently negotiated in contrast with työntää ("to type") or käyttää tietokonetta (“to use a computer”). For example, a student might say “Mun äiti kirjoitti leirin järjestelyt käsikirjoittamalla” to emphasize the manual record-keeping. The term is also useful in literary criticism, where authors may be lauded for their careful käsikirjoitus (manuscript) that preserves the integrity of the text.

Because the word directly links physical hand movement to the act of writing, it carries an aesthetic or nostalgic connotation that is especially appreciated when reflecting on older texts that survived through careful hand-copied copies of medieval manuscripts.