吸います（すいます、suimaす）
- to suck

The Japanese verb 吸います (すいます) primarily means "to breathe in," "to inhale," or "to suck in." It often implies the act of taking something into your lungs or mouth. It can refer to various actions, from breathing air to smoking or drinking something through a straw. It can also figuratively mean to absorb or to be attracted to something.

⚫︎たばこを吸います Translation: I smoke cigarettes. ⚫︎深呼吸を吸います Translation: I take a deep breath. ⚫︎ジュースをストローで吸います Translation: I drink juice with a straw.

This verb is versatile and can be used in numerous contexts. ⚫︎When talking about smoking, you would use it with the object of what is being smoked (e.g., たばこを吸います - "I smoke cigarettes"). ⚫︎When referring to breathing, you'd use it with words like 息 (breath) or 深呼吸 (deep breath). ⚫︎When mentioning drinking with a straw or sucking, the object is what's being consumed. ⚫︎It's generally a polite verb and suitable for most situations.

⚫︎The base form is 吸う (すう). ⚫︎The ます-form (polite form) is 吸います (すいます). ⚫︎It's written in hiragana as すいます or with the kanji 吸います. The kanji is the most common way to write it.

⚫︎For "to breathe in": 息を吸う (いきをすう) - literally "to suck in breath." ⚫︎For "to smoke": While not a direct synonym, the phrase たばこを吸う (たばこをすう) is the most common expression. ⚫︎For "to suck (e.g., a liquid)": 吸う can be used, but other verbs like 飲む (to drink) are often used depending on the context.

⚫︎The direct antonym is not commonly used in the context of breathing. ⚫︎Regarding smoking, the opposite action would be not to smoke, which is expressed using negative constructions. ⚫︎In the literal sense, "to breathe out" is 吐く (はく).

毎日タバコを吸いますか？ ・Translation: Do you smoke cigarettes every day? ・Explanation: This sentence asks about the habit of smoking.

新鮮な空気を吸いますことは大切です。 ・Translation: It's important to breathe in fresh air. ・Explanation: This sentence emphasizes the importance of breathing fresh air.

The kanji 吸 combines the mouth radical (口) with the element 及, which indicates "to reach" or "to involve." The etymology of the kanji suggests the action of something reaching into the mouth or being sucked into it. The verb 吸う (すう) has been a part of the Japanese language for a long time. The meaning has remained relatively consistent over the centuries.