läpinäytävä

Läpinäytävä is a Finnish adjective that translates to transparent or see-through in English. It describes a material or substance that allows light to pass through it, making objects on the other side visible. This property is often associated with clarity and visibility.

In everyday language, läpinäytävä can refer to objects like glass windows, clear plastic packaging, or even water that is sufficiently clean. The degree of transparency can vary. Some materials are perfectly läpinäytävä, while others might be translucent, allowing light to pass through but scattering it, making objects behind them appear blurred or indistinct.

The concept of läpinäytävä is also used metaphorically. For instance, transparency in governance or in business processes refers to openness and the ease with which actions and decisions can be understood or observed. A läpinäytävä system is one where operations are clear and accountable.

Scientific contexts also utilize the term. In optics, läpinäytävä materials are crucial for lenses and prisms. In biology, some tissues or organisms are described as läpinäytävä to facilitate observation of internal structures without dissection. The opposite of läpinäytävä is läpinäkymätön, meaning opaque.