煙（けむり、kemuri）
- smoke

The Japanese word 煙 (けむり - kemuri) primarily means "smoke." It refers to the visible vapor and particles produced by burning substances. This can be from a fire, a cigarette, or other sources of combustion. ⚫︎ It can also figuratively describe things resembling smoke, like a cloud of dust or steam. ⚫︎ The word emphasizes the visible aspect of the substance in the air. ⚫︎ It can also refer to the act or process of smoking, as in the smoke produced from cigarettes.

⚫︎ 火事の煙 Translation: Smoke from a fire. ⚫︎ タバコの煙 Translation: Cigarette smoke. ⚫︎ 蒸気の煙 Translation: Steam (literally, "smoke of steam").

You can use 煙 in various contexts where smoke is present. ⚫︎ When describing a fire: 家から煙が出ています(Ie kara kemuri ga deteimasu - Smoke is coming out of the house.). ⚫︎ Discussing air pollution: 工場の煙は空気を汚染しています(Koujou no kemuri wa kuuki wo osen shiteimasu - Factory smoke pollutes the air.). ⚫︎ Talking about cooking: 焼き魚から美味しそうな煙が立ち上っている(Yakizakana kara oishisou na kemuri ga tachiagatteiru - Delicious-looking smoke is rising from the grilled fish.).

煙 is usually written with the kanji 煙, but can also be written in hiragana けむり. ⚫︎ The reading けむり uses the hiragana, which is the most common form for general use. ⚫︎ The okurigana is not variable.

There aren't many direct synonyms for smoke, but related words include: ⚫︎ スモーク (sumōku) - (katakana for "smoke") - Used to refer to smoking or smoked food etc. ⚫︎ もや (moya) - mist, haze. (if referring to something similar to smoke) ⚫︎ 煙霧 (enmu) - smog, or smoke and fog. ⚫︎ 煤 (susu) - soot.

There isn't a direct antonym. However, something that is the absence of smoke could be considered the opposite. ⚫︎ 空気 (kuuki) - air. (in a sense that there is no smoke) ⚫︎ 透明 (toumei) - transparent, clear. (if referring to the lack of visible particulates)

その煙はとても濃かった。 ・Translation: That smoke was very thick. ・Explanation: This sentence describes the density of the 煙. The word 濃かった (kokatta) describes how dense the 煙 was, meaning you could not see through it very well.

消防士は煙の中に入って行った。 ・Translation: The firefighters went into the smoke. ・Explanation: This sentence describes an action related to 煙, the action being that the firefighters going into the 煙. This demonstrates the use of 煙 in a real-life scenario.

The etymology of 煙 is not precisely known. It is believed the kanji 煙 is a pictographic character depicting a burning flame and the smoke it produces, which is derived from the older forms of the characters.