tekstitatasten

Tekstitatasten is a Finnish term used to describe the group of keys on keyboards and on-screen keyboards that are used to enter text characters. The term literally translates to “text keys” and is used in Finnish-language computing literature to distinguish the alphabetic, numeric, punctuation, and symbol keys from other key groups such as function keys, navigation keys, and modifier keys. While not a formal international term, tekstitatasten is commonly understood to denote the text input layer of a device.

On physical keyboards, tekstitatasten are arranged in language-specific layouts (for example Finnish, Swedish, or English) and include letters with diacritics as required by the language. On mobile devices and in software keyboards, tekstitatasten are presented as soft keyboards whose layout adapts to the active language, enables switching between alphabets, and often provides input methods for speed and accuracy such as predictive text, swipe input, and dead keys.

Text input can be supported by accessibility features such as enlarged tekstitatasten, high-contrast themes, or screen-reader friendly layouts. Some environments also use alternative input methods editors (IME) to convert keystrokes or taps into text in more complex scripts.

Related concepts include the physical keyboard itself, on-screen keyboards, and input method editors. In practice, tekstitatasten form the core interface through which users input written language on a wide range of devices and applications.