意識（いしき、ishiki）
- consciousness

The Japanese word 意識 (いしき - ishiki) primarily means "consciousness," "awareness," or "sense." It refers to the state of being aware of oneself and the surrounding environment. It encompasses both the ability to perceive and respond to stimuli and the subjective experience of having thoughts, feelings, and sensations. 意識 can also imply a sense of purpose, concern, or attention.

⚫︎事故の意識が戻りました。 Translation: He/She regained consciousness after the accident. ⚫︎環境問題に対する意識を高める必要があります。 Translation: It is necessary to raise awareness about environmental issues. ⚫︎彼は自分の行動に対する意識が足りない。 Translation: He lacks awareness of his own actions.

意識 is used in various contexts. ⚫︎ It can describe a person's state of being conscious or unconscious. ⚫︎ It is also used to talk about the degree of awareness one has about something, like a problem, an issue, or a situation. ⚫︎ Furthermore, 意識 can refer to the act of being aware or thinking about something. It is a common word and applicable in both formal and informal situations.

⚫︎ The word is typically written in kanji as 意識. ⚫︎ The reading is いしき in hiragana. ⚫︎ There is no katakana version of the word. ⚫︎ The okurigana (送りがな - suffix hiragana) is standard.

⚫︎ 自覚(じかく - jikaku) - self-awareness, realization ⚫︎ 認識(にんしき - ninshiki) - recognition, understanding ⚫︎ 覚醒(かくせい - kakusei) - awakening, consciousness (often used in medical or spiritual contexts) ⚫︎ 自意識(じいしき - jiishiki) - self-consciousness, self-awareness

⚫︎ 無意識(むいしき - muishiki) - unconsciousness, subconsciousness ⚫︎ 無関心(むかんしん - mukanshin) - indifference, lack of interest

熱があるから、今日は授業の意識がありませんでした。 ・Translation: I didn't have the awareness to pay attention in class today because I had a fever. ・Explanation: The sentence explains how the speaker's state of health (fever) affected their ability to concentrate.

彼は常に社会的な問題に対して高い意識を持っています。 ・Translation: He always has a high level of awareness of social issues. ・Explanation: This sentence describes someone who is very conscious and concerned about social problems.

意識 is a compound word. 意(い - i) means "mind," "thought," or "intention," and 識(しき - shiki) means "to recognize" or "to be aware of." The combination of these kanji creates the concept of being aware of one's own mind or being aware of something.