深呼吸（しんこきゅう、shinkokyuu）
- deep breath

The Japanese word 深呼吸 (しんこきゅう) means "deep breath" or "to take a deep breath". It refers to the act of inhaling deeply to fill your lungs with air, often with the intention of calming oneself, relieving stress, or simply increasing oxygen intake. 深呼吸 can be used as a noun (the deep breath itself) or as a verb (the action of taking a deep breath).

⚫︎ 深呼吸をしてください。 Translation: Please take a deep breath. ⚫︎ 試験の前に、深呼吸をしました。 Translation: Before the exam, I took a deep breath. ⚫︎ 深呼吸をして、リラックスしましょう。 Translation: Let's take a deep breath and relax.

You can use 深呼吸 in various situations: ⚫︎ When someone is feeling stressed or anxious. ⚫︎ Before starting a challenging task or activity. ⚫︎ During meditation or relaxation exercises. ⚫︎ When someone is experiencing physical discomfort (e.g., shortness of breath). ⚫︎ To calm oneself down after an emotional event. You can use it as a command (e.g., 深呼吸して！ - Take a deep breath!) or to describe your own actions (e.g., 深呼吸をしました - I took a deep breath).

深呼吸 is typically written with the kanji characters 深 (shin - deep) and 呼吸 (kokyu - breath). The reading is しんこきゅう (shinkokyuu) in hiragana. ⚫︎ There are no other common ways to write this word. ⚫︎ The okurigana (suffix hiragana) is standard.

There are no direct synonyms in Japanese that perfectly capture the meaning of 深呼吸. You might use phrases that describe similar actions or intentions, such as: ⚫︎ 息を吸う (iki wo suu) - to breathe in ⚫︎ 息を吐く (iki wo haku) - to breathe out ⚫︎ リラックスする (rirakkusu suru) - to relax ⚫︎ 落ち着く (ochitsuku) - to calm down These are not direct synonyms, but can be used in related contexts.

There are no direct antonyms for 深呼吸.

緊張したときは、深呼吸をすると落ち着きます。 ・Translation: When I'm nervous, taking a deep breath calms me down. ・Explanation: This sentence describes how 深呼吸 can be a method to reduce the feeling of tension.

先生は生徒たちに、試験前に深呼吸をするように言いました。 ・Translation: The teacher told the students to take a deep breath before the exam. ・Explanation: This example shows the usage of 深呼吸 as a helpful advice before the exam.

The word 深呼吸 is a combination of two kanji: ⚫︎ 深 (shin) - deep ⚫︎ 呼吸 (kokyuu) - breath, breathing Therefore, the word literally translates to "deep breathing".