喘ぎます（あえぎます、aegimasu）
- to gasp

The Japanese word 喘ぎます [喘ぎます] (読み方: あえぎます) means "to gasp," "to pant," "to sigh (heavily)," or "to struggle for breath." It describes the act of taking short, labored breaths, often due to physical exertion, emotional distress, or illness. The word conveys a sense of difficulty breathing and can imply exhaustion, pain, or strong emotion.

⚫︎マラソンを走った後、彼は激しく喘ぎました。 Translation: After running the marathon, he was gasping heavily. ⚫︎恐怖で彼女は息を喘ぎました。 Translation: She gasped in fear. ⚫︎熱があるので、夜中に何度も喘ぎました。 Translation: Because I had a fever, I gasped many times in the night.

喘ぎます [喘ぎます] is used to describe the act of gasping or panting. You would use it in situations where someone is struggling to breathe. This can be in various contexts, such as after physical activity, during a panic attack, or when experiencing a medical condition that affects breathing. It is important to note the situation to help determine the reason for someone's difficulty breathing.

⚫︎The word is typically written in hiragana as あえぎます. ⚫︎The kanji form is 喘ぎます. ⚫︎The okurigana is ぎ.

⚫︎息を切らす（いきをきらす） - to be out of breath ⚫︎ハアハアする - to pant (onomatopoeia) ⚫︎呼吸困難（こきゅうこんなん） - difficulty breathing (formal) ⚫︎あえぐ [あえぐ] - to gasp, to pant (base form)

There are no single direct antonyms as this is a specific action. However, antonyms would relate to easy or normal breathing: ⚫︎呼吸する（こきゅうする） - to breathe ⚫︎落ち着く（おちつく） - to calm down (in context of breathing)

階段を駆け上がった後、彼は喘ぎました。 ・Translation: After running up the stairs, he gasped. ・Explanation: This sentence illustrates the use of 喘ぎます [喘ぎました] to describe someone's labored breathing after physical exertion.

その知らせを聞いて、彼女は驚いて息を喘ぎました。 ・Translation: Hearing the news, she gasped in surprise. ・Explanation: This sentence demonstrates the usage of 喘ぎます [喘ぎました] in a context of strong emotion, indicating a sudden, sharp intake of breath.

The verb 喘ぐ（あえぐ） comes from the verb meaning "to gasp", which is related to the feeling of breathlessness. The kanji 喘combines the elements of "breath" and "distress" expressing the state of struggling to breathe. The "ます" ending is a polite verb ending, changing the base form 喘ぐto 喘ぎます [喘ぎます], indicating the present or future polite tense.