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KanjiGrade 3 › 息
Kyōiku Kanji

息 — breath

Grade 3そく, いき

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

What does 息 mean?

Kanji
Meaningbreath
Readingsそく, いき
GradeGrade 3 (Medium)
CurriculumKyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school

How to read 息

息 is read そく or いき depending on the word.

Example words with 息

Example休息 (rest)
Practice writing 息 — free
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Updated: 2026-07-14