Refers to the physical act of breathing or the breath itself. Often used in poetic or literary contexts.
Her breath was visible as white vapor.
I feel the breath of spring.
Walking through the park, I felt the breath of spring.
His ideas breathed new life into the company.
The spirit of the era lives on in this book.
呼吸 is the plain, everyday word for the physical act of breathing, while 息吹 is a more poetic term often implying a deep, life-giving breath.
気配 refers generally to a subtle sign or feeling of something happening, while 息吹 specifically evokes a sense of new life or vitality, as in the arrival of spring.
息 is the common, neutral word for breath, whereas 息吹 carries a literary, figurative nuance tied to vitality or freshness.
Standard modern spelling. High-frequency news and common usage.
Irregular okurigana variant; rarely used in modern writing.
Rare kanji form; not commonly encountered.
A noun derived from 息吹く（いぶく）, “to breathe.” Its figurative senses developed from breath as a sign of life and vitality.