命 (いのち, inochi) Japanese meaning: life

命 (いのち, inochi) Japanese meaning: life | Kotomora

Kanji

命fate, command, decree

Related words· 7

生せい命めいN3sense 1
生命 is the formal, scientific term for the life force, while 命 is the more emotional, personal word for the same idea.
人じん生せいN3sense 2
人生 refers to a human life as a span of lived experiences, while 命 refers to the vital life force or duration of life itself.
運うん命めいN2sense 5
運命 is the modern word for fate or destiny, whereas 命 carried that meaning only in archaic usage.
生せいN1
生 is a formal, often compound-forming term for life, while 命 is the everyday word for a living being's life force.

Show 3 more

余よ命めい
命 is the broad, everyday word for 'life' itself, while 余命 narrows the focus to the specific amount of time left to live.
人じん命めいN2
命 is the everyday, emotionally direct word for a life, while 人命 is the formal, statistical term used in news, law, and safety contexts.
生いき物ものN3
命 is the abstract concept of life or life force, while 生き物 refers to a concrete organism that possesses that life.

Opposites

死しN1sense 1
命 means life, the vital force of existence, while 死 means death, its direct opposite.

Don't confuse with

寿じゅ命みょうN2sense 2
寿命 specifically means one's natural lifespan or life expectancy, while 命 broadly means life itself and only sometimes refers to lifespan.

Counted with

つ sense 1
命 is counted with 箇（つ）, as in 一つの命 'one life', since it is an abstract, non-physical thing.

Word family· 11

命いのちがけ
risking one's life; life-and-death
命いのち綱づな
lifeline; safety rope; safety tether
命いのち乞ごい
begging for one's life; pleading for one's life
命いのち取とり
fatal; deadly; mortal

Written forms

命いのちUsage88%
Standard kanji spelling. Sometimes written as 生命 for the 'life' sense.
いのちUsage12%
Kana spelling is common in emotional or poetic contexts, and when avoiding the kanji's other readings.
イノチUsage<1%

Etymology

Native Japanese word. The kanji 命 is a semantic borrowing from Chinese, representing the concept of life and fate. The reading いのち is of uncertain origin, possibly related to 息 (いき, 'breath') or 生 (い, 'life').

命いのち

Meanings

Usage patterns

Expressions· 28