息 — “breath” in Japanese

Grade 3そく, いき

Radical ⼼ · radical 61 The building block this kanji is filed under

“breath” in Japanese is 息, read soku, iki (そく, いき). It is a Grade 3 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 3 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 休息 (rest).

Try it now

What does 息 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	息
Meaning	breath
Readings	そく, いき
Grade	Grade 3 (Medium)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	休息 (rest)

How to read 息

息 is read soku (そく) or iki (いき) depending on the word.

Words with 息

休息
嘆息
窒息

Learn 息 in real sentences — free

Read stories and news built from only the kanji you already know. KanjiSchool’s path covers all 2,136 Jōyō kanji — 1,018 ready to learn now.

Start free — no credit card →

Kanji read the same way as 息

Same sound, different character — the classic trap. Compare them side by side:

Read this character in a real sentence

Updated: 2026-08-28