Lähtöhetki

Lähtöhetki is a Finnish noun meaning the moment of departure or the starting moment of an event or process. It is formed from the verb lähteä ('to depart') and hetki ('moment'), and indicates the exact point in time when something begins.

Usage includes travel and transportation, where lähtöhetki denotes the precise time a trip starts; for example, a timetable may specify the bus's lähtöhetki as klo 14:30. It is also used in scientific or experimental settings to denote the initial moment at which measurements commence (often t=0). In literature, it can refer to the inciting moment that sets the narrative in motion.

Variants and related terms include lähtöaika (departure time) and alkamishetki (start moment). Lähtöhetki emphasizes the onset of an event rather than its location; the departure place would be referred to as lähtöpaikka. The term is common in both formal and informal Finnish and is flexible across contexts.

Examples in use illustrate its flexibility: a timetable states, “Lähtöhetki on klo 14:30,” a lab protocol may specify, “kokeen lähtöhetki on t=0,” and a storyteller might describe the scene as the moment of the läähöhetki that drives the plot forward.