Only when written 生き · Only with reading いき
Nominal or compound use referring to the state of being alive, often contrasted with 死に as in 生き死に.
Antonyms: 死に
freshness; liveliness; vitality
Only when written 生き / 活き · Only with reading いき
Used for something fresh, vigorous, or full of life; 活き often highlights this vivid or fresh quality.
このアジはまだ活きがいい。
This horse mackerel is still very fresh.
life of a Go group; uncapturable group
Only when written 生き · Only with reading いき
Go term for stones that cannot be captured, typically because the group has two or more eyes.
黒は二眼を作って生きになった。
Black made two eyes and became alive.
stet; leave as is
Only with reading イキ
Proofreading and editing notation meaning that a proposed deletion or correction should be canceled and the original text left unchanged; usually written イキ.
校正者はその修正に「イキ」と書いた。
The proofreader wrote “stet” on that correction.
Only when written 生き · Only with reading いき
Rare, limited prefix-like use with a cursing or strongly derogatory force, mostly in fixed or old-fashioned expressions rather than productive modern usage.
This fish is nice and fresh.
This is a matter involving people's life and death.
活きのいい若手がチームに入ってきた。
A lively young member has joined the team.
In words like 生き畜生, 生き strengthens the abusive tone.
この石はもう生きだ。
This group of stones is already alive.
新鮮 is the common adjectival-noun for freshness in general, whereas 生き appears mainly in the fixed expression 生きがいい to praise the vitality of live seafood or produce.
生きる is the verb meaning to live, while 生き is its noun/stem form used in compounds and set phrases like 生き死に or 生きがいい.
live; be alive; exist · make a living; subsist; get by · be in effect; be in use; function · come to life; be enlivened; become vivid · be safe; be alive (in a game)
living thing; creature; life
way of life; how to live
longevity; long life
survive; stay alive; remain
Standard spelling for the noun or stem meaning being alive, liveliness, the Go term, and limited prefix-like uses; the proofreading term is normally written イキ.
Katakana spelling used as a proofreading or editing mark meaning to leave text as it is.
Often used when emphasizing freshness, vitality, or lively quality, especially in expressions such as 活きがいい.
生き is the noun or stem form associated with 生きる, “to live.” 活き is an alternate spelling used by convention to emphasize freshness or vitality; the proofreading イキ is a specialized katakana notation.
survive; live through; pull through
survive; live through; pull through
revive; come back to life; be restored to life
burying alive; live burial
living in shame; dishonor while alive
lifeblood; living blood
lifelong separation; parting while alive
vengeful spirit; living ghost; doppelgänger · mankind; souls; people
way of life; attitude to life; how one lives
lifelike; exact resemblance; spitting image
live bait
live long; survive
live; living
living Buddha; saintly monk · living person; someone still alive
still having slim chances of victory
living god
liver taken from a living animal
living body; flesh and blood · fresh fish
face of a living person
live horse; living horse
death and life; death or life · death
lifelike life-sized doll · doll-like beauty