Uhka

UhkA is a Finnish noun meaning threat or menace. It denotes a potential source of harm, danger, or damage to people, property, or interests. The term is used to describe both immediate dangers and longer-term risks, and it applies across many domains, including security, politics, health, environment, and everyday life.

In security and policy contexts, uhka is frequently combined with qualifiers such as turvallisuusuhka (security threat) or taloudellinen uhka (economic threat). The word appears in risk assessments, crisis management planning, and public discourse to label conditions that may require preventive or protective action. In legal and administrative language, phrases like uhka-tilanne or uhka-arvio may be used to describe a threatening situation or an assessment of threats.

The word is native to Finnish and follows standard inflection, with plural uhkat and genitive uhkan. A related concept is turvallisuusuhka (security threat). In everyday speech, uhka can describe personal danger as well as abstract risks, and it is often contrasted with riski (risk), which emphasizes probabilistic likelihood rather than a defined source of harm.

Related terms and concepts include risk, danger, and threat assessment.