Copyright © 2026 Kotomora. All Rights Reserved.
青息吐息 (あおいきといき) Japanese meaning | Kotomora
Meanings 1
noun
deep distress ; great trouble ; anguish
yojijukugo (four-character idiom)
A yojijukugo describing a state of extreme distress or suffering, often with a sense of being at one's wit's end. Commonly used in set phrases like 青息吐息の状態.
彼かれ は 借しゃっ 金きん で 青あお 息いき 吐と 息いき だっ た 。
He was in great distress because of his debts.
Kanji 息 breath, respiration, son Etymology A yojijukugo composed of 青 (blue/pale), 息 (breath), 吐 (exhale), and 息 (breath), literally 'blue breath, exhaled breath', evoking the image of someone sighing in distress. The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but it is conventionally associated with a state of extreme suffering.
