lähtökohtaa

Lähtökohtaa is the partitive singular form of the Finnish noun lähtökohta, which means starting point, basis, premise, or point of departure. In Finnish discourse the term refers to a fundamental assumption or piece of background information that forms the basis for analysis, planning or argumentation. It is used to frame questions, guide decisions, and establish the scope of a discussion or project.

Lähtökohta is a compound of lähti- (start, departure) and kohta (point). The form lähtökohtaa appears in sentences where the starting point is treated as an indefinite object or as part of a broader statement. In such usage the word functions as a target of verbs like käyttää (to use), käsitellä (to discuss/handle) or määritellä (to define).

In practice, lähtökohtaa is common in academic writing, research methodology, project planning, policy analysis and argumentation. Writers may state it directly, for example by referring to the study’s or proposal’s starting point, or discuss it as an underlying assumption that shapes methods, interpretations and decisions. The term is often linked to related concepts such as perusta (foundation), edellytys (precondition) and tavoite (goal), depending on the emphasis of the discourse.

The plural form is lähtökohtia, used when referring to multiple starting points or bases for several lines of inquiry or design choices. The singular lä hö tkohta and its various cases (lähtökohtaa, lähtökohtaa, etc.) help distinguish the concrete point from the broader conceptual idea of a starting point in Finnish.

See also: lähtökohta, perusta, edellytys, peruste, tavoite.