panting; gasping
Refers to the act of breathing heavily or being out of breath, often from exertion or excitement. Commonly used in the compound verb 息急き切る (to pant heavily).
See also: 息せき切る
階段を駆け上がった後、息急きが止まらなかった。
After running up the stairs, I couldn't stop panting.
彼は興奮して息急きを切らせながら話した。
He spoke while panting with excitement.
Standard kanji spelling for this noun.
Alternate spelling using kana for the second element; less common but still used.
Compound of 息 (breath) and 急き (from 急く, to hurry or be impatient), literally 'hurried breath'. The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the spelling is conventionally associated with the meaning of panting.