Refers to a verbal or physical threat meant to frighten or coerce someone.
He didn't give in to the threat.
That's just a bluff.
bird-scaring device; scarecrow; scare gun
A device used in fields to scare away birds, such as a scarecrow, noise-making gun, or reflective tape.
We set up bird-scaring devices in the rice paddy to drive away birds.
He continued the negotiation without giving in to the other party's threats.
The farmer set up a bird-scarer in the rice field to drive away the birds.
There's no need to fall for a threat like that.
His words were nothing more than an empty threat.
脅迫 is a formal, often legal term for making a threat, while 脅し is the everyday word covering any kind of threat, bluff, or intimidation.
案山子 specifically means a human-shaped scarecrow, while 脅し (bird-scaring sense) covers any device—scarecrow, noise gun, reflective tape—used to frighten off birds.
威嚇 emphasizes intimidating someone through a show of force, posture, or display, whereas 脅し focuses on the act of threatening with words or actions.
Standard kanji spelling for threat or intimidation.
Uncommon variant; 威 is used in 威嚇 (いかく) but rarely alone for おどし.
Uncommon variant; 嚇 is used in 威嚇 (いかく) but rarely alone for おどし.
Derived from the verb 脅す (おどす, to threaten). The noun form 脅し refers to the act or means of threatening.