Refers to a verbal or physical threat meant to frighten or coerce someone.
彼は脅しに屈しなかった。
He didn't give in to the threat.
He continued the negotiation without giving in to the other party's threats.
それはただの脅しだよ。
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.
田んぼに脅しを設置して鳥を追い払う。
We set up bird-scaring devices in the rice paddy to drive away birds.
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.
persuasion by tears; sob story; using tears to get one's way
extort; blackmail
threatening words; intimidating language
threaten; intimidate; frighten
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.