# 息 — breath; son

息 means “breath; son”. It is a JLPT N3 kanji written with 10 strokes. On'yomi: ソク (soku). Kun'yomi: いき (iki). You'll see it in words such as 息 (iki, “breath; breathing”).

- Meaning: breath; son
- On'yomi: ソク (soku)
- Kun'yomi: いき (iki)
- Strokes: 10
- Level: JLPT N3 · set Body & health 1

## How to remember 息

Your self (自) over your heart (心): a breath.

Parts: 自 self; nose · 心 heart

## Words with 息

| Word | Reading | Meaning |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 息 | いき (iki) | breath; breathing |
| ため息 | ためいき (tameiki) | sigh |

## Don't confuse it with

[想](https://moji.ninja/n3-kanji/imagine/) · [臭](https://moji.ninja/n1-kanji/stinking/)

## More in the “Body & health 1” set

[指](https://moji.ninja/n3-kanji/finger/) · [身](https://moji.ninja/n3-kanji/own-body/) · [脳](https://moji.ninja/n3-kanji/brain/) · [健](https://moji.ninja/n3-kanji/healthy/) · [血](https://moji.ninja/n3-kanji/blood/) · [息](https://moji.ninja/n3-kanji/breath/)

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From Moji Ninja (https://moji.ninja/), a free app for learning hiragana, katakana and the JLPT kanji from N5 to N1 with spaced repetition. Page: https://moji.ninja/n3-kanji/breath/. Last updated 2026-11-01.