noun
The ordinary word for a breath or the act/state of breathing. Common in phrases such as 息を吸う, 息を吐く, 息が苦しい, and 息が切れる.
深く息を吸って、ゆっくり吐いてください。
Take a deep breath and exhale slowly.
走って駅まで来たので、まだ息が切れている。
I ran to the station, so I'm still out of breath.
noun
harmony; rapport; being in sync
Used mainly in set expressions such as 息が合う and 息を合わせる, where 息 refers to shared timing, coordination, or rapport rather than literal breathing.
See also: 息が合う
二人の演奏は息がぴったり合っている。
The two musicians are perfectly in sync.
チーム全員で息を合わせて作業した。
The whole team worked in coordination.
noun
A more figurative or literary use for white steam or vapor rising from something hot, as if it were breathing. In everyday speech, 湯気 is usually the more direct word for steam.
炊きたてのご飯から白い息が立っている。
White steam is rising from the freshly cooked rice.
More formal and process-oriented; it means breathing or respiration, while 息 is the everyday word for a breath.
The normal everyday word for steam or vapor rising from hot water, food, or a bath; 息 in this sense is more figurative or literary.
A general word for harmony or balance; 息 expresses rapport mainly through idioms such as 息が合う.
A native Japanese word written with 息, the standard kanji associated with breath. The deeper historical derivation of いき is not specified.