呼吸
kokyū[ko̞kʲɨː]
Breathing in Japanese is 呼吸 (kokyū).
The term 呼吸 refers to the act of respiration. You can use specific variations such as 深呼吸 for deep breath, 腹式呼吸 for diaphragmatic breathing and 鼻呼吸 for nasal breathing. Additionally, the phrase 呼吸を止める is used to describe the act of holding one's breath, while リズムに合わせて呼吸する means to synchronize your breath with a rhythm.
Meaning: act of respiration (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The word 呼吸 is composed of the characters 呼 (to call/exhale) and 吸 (to inhale).
How does it change in a sentence?
To use 'breathing' as a verb (to breathe), you add the verb する (suru) to the noun 呼吸 to form 呼吸する.
How do you pronounce it?
kokyū
Did you know?
- The phrase 呼吸が合う literally means 'breaths match', but it is used idiomatically to say that two people are 'in sync' or work perfectly together.
- In traditional Japanese aesthetics, the concept of 'ma' or negative space is often compared to the pause between 'breathing' cycles, suggesting that the silence is as important as the sound.
- In the popular series 'Demon Slayer', the characters use specialized 'breathing' styles called 全集中の呼吸 to gain superhuman strength. This has popularized the idea of 'breathing' as a combat technique among younger Japanese speakers.
Examples in context
- 鼻での呼吸はしづらいですか？Are you having any difficulty breathing through your nose?Tatoeba #8760315 by bunbuku, translation #5607349 by CK
- 肺炎にかかると呼吸困難になる。Pneumonia causes difficulty in breathing.Tatoeba #121532 by bunbuku, translation #282473 by CK
- 呼吸は？Is he breathing?Tatoeba #174577 by bunbuku, translation #239892 by CK
- 正しい呼吸が重要ですProper breathing is important.
- 深呼吸してリラックスしましょうLet's take a deep breath and relax.
- ちょっと息が速いねYour breathing is a bit fast.
- 深く吸ってみてTry taking a deep breath.
- 4 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Yui is helping Hiroto practice meditation.
- 結衣 Yui大翔、もっと深い呼吸をしてみて。Hiroto, motto fukai kokyuu o shite mite.Hiroto, try to take a deeper breath.
- 大翔 Hirotoはい、呼吸に集中しています。Hai, kokyuu ni shuuchuu shite imasu.Yes, I am focusing on my breathing.
- 結衣 Yuiその調子で、リラックスして。Sono choushi de, rirakkusu shite.Keep it up, and just relax.
- 大翔 Hiroto結衣さんの言う通り、落ち着いてきました。Yui-san no iu toori, ochitsuite kimashita.Just as you say, Yui, I am starting to feel calm.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “breathing” translations and entries 呼吸, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
