Translation guide
How to express the feeling or situation of being unable to breathe, or something that feels oppressive and stifling, in Japanese.
Describing a physical sensation of choking, smothering, or lack of air.
Describing a situation, relationship, or feeling that is stifling, overwhelming, or makes you feel trapped.
Describing weather or a room that is so hot and humid it feels hard to breathe.
Both can mean 'suffocating', but 息苦しい focuses on the subjective feeling of difficulty breathing (physical or emotional), while 息が詰まる often implies a sudden blockage or a tense atmosphere that makes you hold your breath. 息苦しい is more common for general discomfort.
この部屋は息苦しい。
This room feels stuffy/suffocating.
沈黙が続いて息が詰まった。
The silence continued and it felt suffocating (I couldn't breathe).
Avoid directly translating 'suffocating' as 窒息する (to choke/suffocate) unless it's a life-threatening lack of oxygen. For everyday discomfort, use 息苦しい or 息が詰まる.
The most common and natural way to say 'suffocating' in a physical sense. It literally means 'breath is painful/difficult'.
この部屋は息苦しい。
This room is suffocating.
マスクをしていると息苦しくなる。
Wearing a mask makes me feel suffocated.
Literally 'about to suffocate/choke'. Used when you feel like you can't breathe at all, often due to lack of oxygen or something blocking the airway.
煙で窒息しそうだった。
I was suffocating from the smoke.
Literally 'breath gets blocked'. Can be used for physical suffocation, but also metaphorically for tense situations.
喉に何かが詰まって息が詰まった。
Something got stuck in my throat and I was suffocating.
Used metaphorically for a tense, awkward, or oppressive atmosphere where you feel you can't breathe freely.
会議室の雰囲気は息が詰まるようだった。
The atmosphere in the meeting room was suffocating.
彼の前だと息が詰まる。
I feel suffocated when I'm around him.
Can also be used metaphorically for an oppressive emotional state or environment.
この関係は息苦しい。
This relationship is suffocating.
Literally 'there is a feeling of pressure/oppression'. Used for a stifling atmosphere, often in a more formal or descriptive way.
この職場は圧迫感があって息苦しい。
This workplace feels oppressive and suffocating.
An adjective phrase meaning 'breath-takingly tense' or 'suffocatingly intense'. Often used in literary descriptions.
息の詰まるような沈黙が続いた。
A suffocating silence continued.
Specifically for hot and humid conditions that feel suffocating. Very common in summer.
今日は蒸し暑くて息苦しい。
It's so hot and humid today, it's suffocating.
Can be used alone when the heat makes it hard to breathe.
エアコンが壊れて部屋が息苦しい。
The AC broke and the room is suffocating.