Kokyuu is the Japanese word for ‘breath’, explained

What does “kokyuu” mean in Japanese?

Native speakers say “kokyuu” to mean ‘breath’ in Japanese. Perhaps, some Japanese learners know this word as it is sometimes used in Japanese movies, songs, novels, manga, anime, and the like. In this blog post, however, I will explain this word in detail based on its kanji expression. And also, I will explain how to use it through example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners to understand “kokyuu” more clearly. Then, let’s get started!

Contents

• Definition and meaning of “kokyuu”
• Kokyuu in kanji
  • Example #1: how to say “breath” in Japanese
  • Example #2: another usage of “kokyuu”
• Summary

Definition and meaning of “kokyuu”

Let me start with the definition and meaning of “kokyuu”.

• kokyuu – 呼吸 (こきゅう) : a noun meaning ‘breath’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Learn more about Japanese plural.

Native speakers use this noun mainly to refer to a certain amount of air we take into our bodies. In addition, they sometimes use it as a metaphor for a harmony or good combination between two or more people. In the Japanese language, breathing at the same time means performing an action well together. It’s worth knowing.

The definition and meaning are simple and clear, I think. To understand this noun more clearly, however, let me explain its kanji characters in detail, one by one.

Kokyuu in kanji

The kanji expression of “kokyuu” consists of the following two characters:

• 呼 : a kanji character used to express the act of calling.
• 吸 : a kanji character used to express the act of breathing in.

From these two kanji characters, we can understand that “kokyuu” literally means ‘calling and breathing in’ in Japanese. Probably, the part of “calling” sounds a bit weird. However, we can consider it as the act of calling the process of breathing in: it is “breathing out”. After breathing out, we always need to breathe in. In a nut shell, the kanji of “kokyuu” expresses well the whole process of breathing.

When we meet new kanji expressions, we should check their kanji characters in detail to understand their meanings clearly and deeply. In many cases, kanji characters tell us a lot about meanings of words they form. Actually, here, we could get the better understanding of “kokyuu” through the detailed kanji check above. Then, let me explain how to use it through the example sentences below.

Example #1: how to say “breath” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• kare – 彼 (かれ) : a pronoun meaning ‘he’ in Japanese.
• no – の : a case particle used after a noun or pronoun to make its possessive case. In the example, this is used after “kare” to make its possessive case, “kare no”, which means ‘his’ in Japanese.
• ga – が : a case particle used to make the subject word or the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after “kare no kokyuu” to make the subject in the sentence.
• totemo – とても : an adverb of degree meaning ‘very’, ‘much’, ‘so’, or such in Japanese. In the example, this is used before “araku” to emphasize its meaning.
• araku – 荒く (あらく) : one conjugation of the i-adjective, “arai”, which means ‘rough’ or such in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
• nat – なっ : one conjugation of the verb, “naru”, which means ‘to become’, ‘to turn’, ‘to get’, or such in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
• ta – た : an auxiliary verb used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its past tense form. Probably, this is well known as a part of Japanese ta form. In the example, this is used after “nat” to make its past tense form, “nat ta”.

This is a typical usage of “kokyuu”. In this example, it works as a part of the expression, “kokyuu ga totemo araku nat ta”, which literally means ‘the breath became very rough’ in Japanese. It has been reflected as “the breath became very heavy” in the English sentence.

Example #2: another usage of “kokyuu”

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• wo – を : a case particle used to make the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after “kokyuu” to make the object in the clause.
• totonoeru – 整える (ととのえる) : a verb meaning ‘to adjust’, ‘to regulate’, ‘to control’, ‘to arrange’, ‘to prepare’, or such in Japanese. In the example, this is used to mean ‘to control’.
• to – と : a case particle working as a quote marker. In the example, this works after the clause to indicate what “kare” said.
• wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after “kare” to make the subject in the sentence.
• it – 言っ (いっ) : one conjugation of the verb, “iu”, which means ‘to say’, ‘to tell’, or such in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.

This is another typical usage of “kokyuu”. In this example, it works as a part of the commonly-used expression, “kokyuu wo totonoeru”, which means ‘to control the breath’ in Japanese. Native speakers sometimes use it, so it’s worth knowing. When we want to say “breath” in Japanese, anyway, this noun is a very good option.

Summary

In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meaning of “kokyuu” in detail based on its kanji expression. And also, I’ve explained how to use it through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.

• kokyuu – 呼吸 (こきゅう) : a noun meaning ‘breath’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Native speakers use this noun mainly to refer to a certain amount of air we take into our bodies. In addition, they sometimes use this as a metaphor for a harmony or good combination between two or more people. In the Japanese language, breathing at the same time means performing an action well together. These two kanji characters literally mean ‘calling and breathing in’. Probably, the part of “calling” sounds a bit weird. However, we can consider it as the act of calling the process of breathing in: it is “breathing out”. After breathing out, we always need to breathe in. In a nut shell, the kanji of this noun expresses well the whole process of breathing.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.