血
chi[t͡ɕi]
Blood in Japanese is 血 (chi). Wiktionary also lists 血液 (ketsueki).
Meaning: vital liquid flowing in human and animal bodies (noun)
Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| 血 | chi | [t͡ɕi] (narrow) |
| 血液 | ketsueki | [ke̞t͡sɨe̞kʲi] (narrow) |
The term refers to the vital liquid flowing in human and animal bodies.
Which one should you use?
While 血 is the general word for blood, 血液 is a more formal, technical or medical term used in clinical contexts.
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is chi.
Did you know?
- The term 血液型 (blood type) is a frequent topic of social conversation in Japan, often used in a pseudo-scientific way to discuss personality traits, much like astrology in the West.
- The character 血 is often used in compounds to denote intense effort, such as in 血の滲むような努力, which translates to 'effort like blood seeping out' to mean incredibly hard work.
- The word 血 can be used in the expression 血を洗う, which translates to 'washing blood with blood'. It is a literary way to describe a fierce revenge or a bloody conflict.
Examples in context
- 高血圧です。I have high blood pressure.This sentence is useful for talking about having high blood pressure with 血.Tatoeba #173215 by bunbuku, translation #241256 by CK
- 血液型何型？What is your blood type?This sentence is useful for asking about blood type with 血.Tatoeba #3252952 by tommy_san, translation #372352 by contour
- 吐血しました。I coughed up blood.This sentence is useful for describing coughing up blood with 血.Tatoeba #124614 by tommy__san, translation #279380 by CK
- Anata no chi no atatakasa o kanjimasu. (あなたの血の温かさを感じます。)I can feel the warmth of your blood.
- Chi no nioi ga shita. (血の匂いがした。)I smelled blood.
- Kore wa chi desu ka? (これは血ですか？)Is this blood?
- 160 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Misaki and Ren are looking at a small cut on Ren's finger.
- 美咲 Misaki蓮くん、指から血が出ているよ。Ren-kun, yubi kara chi ga dete iru yo.Ren, blood is coming out of your finger.
- 蓮 Ren大丈夫、少し切っただけだよ。Daijoubu, sukoshi kitta dake da yo.It's okay, I just got a small cut.
- 美咲 Misakiちゃんと消毒したほうがいいよ。Chanto shoudoku shita hou ga ii yo.You should definitely disinfect it.
- 蓮 Renわかった、ありがとう、美咲。Wakatta, arigatou, Misaki.Okay, thanks, Misaki.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “blood” translations and entries 血, 血液, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
