suojat

Suojat is a Finnish noun meaning shelters, protections, or protective measures. It is the plural form of suoja and is used in a variety of contexts to refer to things that provide safety or cover.

In architecture and urban design, suojat can denote physical structures that shield people from weather or hazards, such as public shelter areas or covered spaces at workplaces. In safety and regulation language, the term can refer to protective devices or barriers intended to reduce risk, including shields, padding, guard rails, or other protective features.

The word also appears in historical and civil defense contexts. In Finland, references to pommisuojat (bomb shelters) are common in discussions of 20th-century preparedness and wartime safety planning. Because suojat is a general term, its precise meaning is usually clarified by a surrounding descriptor or by using a compound term that names the specific type of shelter or protection (for example pommisuoja for a bomb shelter or pysäkkisuoja for a bus-stop shelter).

Etymology: suojat derives from the noun suoja, meaning protection or shelter, with the plural suffix -at. Related forms include suojattu (protected) and suojaus (protection or safeguarding). See also shelter, civil defense, and protective equipment.