peilikuvan

Peilikuvan is a Finnish term that refers to the image produced by a mirror, or more generally to a mirror image of an object. In everyday language it denotes the image one sees when looking into a mirror. In scientific contexts the term is used to describe the optical properties of the image, including its orientation, position, and size relative to the object.

In optics, the characteristics of a peilikuva depend on the type of mirror. With a plane mirror, the peilikuva is virtual, upright, and laterally inverted, appearing behind the mirror at the same distance as the object is in front; its size is the same as that of the object. A concave mirror can form a real and inverted image if the object is beyond the focal point, or a virtual and upright image if the object is inside the focal point. A convex mirror always forms a virtual, upright, and reduced image. These properties underpin applications from everyday bathroom mirrors to optical devices and scientific instruments.

In culture and the arts, peilikuvan often functions as a metaphor for self-perception, identity, and the relationship between appearance and reality. Finnish literature, photography, and film occasionally employ the motif of the mirror image to explore themes of reflection, introspection, and the fragmentation or augmentation of the self.

The term is used grammatically in phrases such as “peilikuvan” to indicate possession or relation, as in “peilikuvan kuva” (the mirror image’s image) or “peilikuvaani” (my mirror image). It serves as a concise way to discuss both literal reflections and figurative representations.