How to say "air" in Japanese
Choosing the right word
- 空気くうきnounThe general word for air as a substance: the air in a room, the air you breathe, air in a tire. It also covers 'atmosphere' in the physical sense.
- nounThe katakana borrowing of 'air'. It chiefly appears within set expressions rather than as the ordinary word for the air you breathe; for that, 空気 is the word.
- 干すほすgodan verb, transitive verbA verb, not the noun: it means to air or dry something, as when you hang out washing or bedding. Never use it where English has the noun 'air'.
- 大気たいきnounAir in the scientific sense of the atmosphere: the mass of air surrounding the earth, as discussed in weather reports and science, rather than the air in the room.
- 宙ちゅうnounSeldom the word you want for air itself: it really means midair or empty space, as with something floating or falling through the air.
For air as the gas we breathe use 空気; for the earth's atmosphere in science or weather use 大気; 「エア」 is the loanword mostly in set expressions; 「干す」 is the verb 'to air'; 宙 means midair.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese equivalents
See also
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