How to say "puff" in Japanese

Choosing the right word

膨らみふくらみCommon
nounCovers the noun 'puff': a swelling or bulge, the rounded shape of something puffed out. It names that puffed-out shape itself — puffed sleeves, rounded cheeks — not the act of blowing.
吹くふくJLPT N5approx.Common
godan verb, transitive verbThe verb 'to puff': to blow or breathe out, as when blowing on hot tea or a candle. It is really the general verb 'to blow', with 'to puff' one of its senses.
ローズはしゃぼん玉たまを吹ふいていた。↗
Rose was blowing bubbles.

Use the noun 「膨らみ」 for a 'puff' that is a rounded swelling or bulge, and the verb 「吹く」 for 'to puff' in the sense of blowing out breath, its broader meaning being simply to blow.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

Japanese equivalents

膨らみふくらみswelling
一吹きひとふきblast
くゆらすto smoke (e.g. a pipe)
パフ(powder) puff
吹くふくto blow (one's breath)
フッhuff
ぷーsound of something being inflated

JLPT vocabulary levels are community estimates, not official (no official lists have been published since the 2010 revision).

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