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Kanji Detail for 気 - "air, spirit, feeling"

気

  • Meaning

    気 means "air, spirit, feeling."

    1. Air - Atmosphere; vapor; steam; gas.

    2. Breath - Respiration; to breathe upon; to exhale.

    3. Gas - One of the three states of matter.

    4. Natural phenomena - Occurring naturally between heaven and earth.

    5. Spirit - Vitality; energy; the source of human activity.

    6. Aura - The presence said to surround great individuals.

    7. Feeling - A vague sensation; mental attitude.

    8. Scent - Smell; fragrance; to detect an odor.

    9. Manner - Appearance; indication; mood; atmosphere.

    10. Solar term - One of the 24 divisions of the lunar year.

  • Words using 気

    • 人気 にんき Listen popularity; public favor; condition (e.g. market)
    • 景気 けいき Listen business conditions; the market; economic activity
    • 気持ち きもち Listen feeling; sensation; mood
    • 病気 びょうき Listen illness (usu. excluding minor ailments, e.g. common cold); disease; sickness
    • 電気 でんき Listen electricity; (electric) light
    • 一気 いっき Listen one breath; chug!; drink!
    • 気分 きぶん Listen feeling; mood
    • 空気 くうき Listen air; atmosphere; mood

  • Four-character idioms with 気

    • 意気投合 いきとうごう Listen hit it off with (a person); find a kindred spirit in (a person); sympathy
    • 意気消沈 いきしょうちん Listen low spirits; depression; dejection
    • 一気呵成 いっきかせい Listen finishing in one go; completing in one sitting; (doing something) in a single breath
    • 人気稼業 にんきかぎょう Listen popular occupation; occupation largely dependent on public favor
    • 勇気凛凛 ゆうきりんりん Listen full of spirit; brimming with courage; high-spirited
    • 士気阻喪 しきそそう Listen demoralization; collapse of morale; one's morale being shaken

  • Origin of 気

    The old form 氣 sets 米, rice, under 气, which supplies the sound and, on its own, already pictured rising vapour. Scholars read the compound as originally "grain given to a guest" — the sense that survives in 餼 — with the vapour meaning of 气 carried over to it later. The popular reading, steam curling off cooked rice, is the one Japan remembers.

    How to remember it: Rice 米 under vapour 气 — the character that ended up meaning breath, energy, ki.

    Sources: en.wiktionary.org · mojinavi.com

  • Tattoo check: 気

    • Verified meaning: air, spirit, feeling
    • Official Jōyō kanji — a standard character every Japanese reader recognises
    • Used in real Japanese given names (read たいき)

    A single kanji rarely maps one-to-one onto an English word. Read the meanings and associations above as a set — a character that fits the dictionary definition can still carry a connotation you did not intend.

  • Name readings of 気

    Surnames 気(たいき)Listen

  • Compare with other kanji that mean the same thing:

  • Dictionary Citations

    The meaning above is based on the following sources:

    KANJIDIC2 A comprehensive Japanese-English kanji dictionary

    spirit; mind; air; atmosphere; mood

    Unihan Unicode Han Database for CJK characters

    air, gas, steam, vapor; spirit

    CC-CEDICT A Chinese-English dictionary

    Japanese variant of 氣|气

  • Onyomi

    tip

    ke(ケ) ケ

    ki(キ) キ

  • Kunyomi

    tip

    iki(いき) いき

    ki(き) き

  • Strokes

    tip

    6 strokes

  • Radical

    tip

    气 (kigamae)

  • Related Keywords

    air spirit feeling breath gas aura manner mood natural phenomena period scent vapor energy atmosphere disposition emotion enthusiasm fervor heart liveliness passion soul temperament

Sentences including 気

  • You don't have to pay attention to what he says.

  • The air became warm.

  • I wonder if he's really sick?

  • I put on my favorite dress for the party.

  • I am reluctant to tell her the truth.

  • It was because he was ill that he decided to return home.

  • It's fine today.

  • People often complain about the weather.

  • He cannot come , he is ill.

  • I recovered from my illness.

Sentences from Japanese classical masterpieces

More kanji with the radical 气 (kigamae)

See all kanji with this radical →

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