Readings: スイ (Onyomi), ふく (Kunyomi)
Meaning: blow, breathe, puff, emit, spout
The kanji 吹 combines 口 (kuchi, ‘mouth’) and 欠 (ketsu, ‘lack’ or ‘yawn’). The 欠 component here is used phonetically to suggest ‘breath’ or ‘wind,’ while 口 clearly indicates the action involving the mouth. Together, they represent the act of ‘blowing’ or ‘breathing out’.
View JLPT N3 Kanji ListHow to Write – Stroke Order
The kanji 吹 is composed of 7 strokes. It begins with the three strokes of the ‘mouth’ radical (口) on the left, followed by the four strokes of the ‘lack’ or ‘yawn’ component (欠) on the right. The mouth radical is written vertical, horizontal-hook, then horizontal. The 欠 component starts with a horizontal-hook, followed by two short verticals, and finishes with a long sweeping stroke.
Kanji Details
| Radical | 欠 (けつ) |
|---|---|
| Strokes | 7 |
| JLPT Level | N3 |
| Grade | 3 |
Readings with English Transcription
Onyomi (Chinese readings)
- スイ (SUI)
Kunyomi (Japanese readings)
- ふく (fuku)
Common Words Using 吹
Onyomi Readings
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 吹奏楽 | すいそうがく | wind instrument music, brass band |
| 吹奏 | すいそう | playing a wind instrument |
| 吹管 | すいかん | blowpipe (e.g., for glass blowing) |
| 吹鳴 | すいめい | sounding a whistle or horn |
| 吹聴 | すいちょう | spreading rumors, proclaiming (often negative nuance) |
| 吹送 | すいそう | conveyance by blowing/air current |
| 吹上 | すいあげ | blowing up, rising (often in proper nouns or technical terms) |
| 吹入 | すいにゅう | blowing in, inflation (technical) |
| 吹消 | すいしょう | blowing out, extinguishing (technical) |
| 吹打 | すいだ | blowing and striking (archaic, rare) |
Kunyomi Readings
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 吹く | ふく | to blow, to play (a wind instrument) |
| 吹き出す | ふきだす | to burst out (laughing), to gush out, to sprout |
| 吹き込む | ふきこむ | to blow into, to record (voice), to instill (ideas) |
| 吹き飛ばす | ふきとばす | to blow away, to blow off |
| 吹き荒れる | ふきあれる | to blow violently (e.g., wind) |
| 吹き降り | ふきぶり | driving rain, rain accompanied by strong wind |
| 吹き付ける | ふきつける | to spray, to blow against |
| 吹き抜け | ふきぬけ | air shaft, well (in a building), open space |
| 吹き替え | ふきかえ | dubbing (of a film), stunt double |
| 吹きさらし | ふきさらし | exposed to the wind, windswept |
Example Sentences
Japanese: 風が強く吹いている。
Kana: かぜが つよく ふいている。
Romaji: Kaze ga tsuyoku fuiteiru.
English: The wind is blowing strongly.
Japanese: 彼はラッパを吹いた。
Kana: かれは ラッパを ふいた。
Romaji: Kare wa rappa o fuita.
English: He played the trumpet.
Japanese: 思わず笑い出してしまった。
Kana: おもわず わらいだしてしまった。
Romaji: Omowazu waraidashite shimatta.
English: I unintentionally burst out laughing.
Japanese: 風で帽子が吹き飛ばされた。
Kana: かぜで ぼうしが ふきとばされた。
Romaji: Kaze de boushi ga fukitobasareta.
English: My hat was blown away by the wind.
Japanese: この部屋は風が吹き抜けて気持ちがいい。
Kana: このへやは かぜが ふきぬけて きもちがいい。
Romaji: Kono heya wa kaze ga fukinukete kimochi ga ii.
English: This room feels good with the wind blowing through it.
Japanese: 強風が一日中吹き荒れた。
Kana: きょうふうが いちにちじゅう ふきあれた。
Romaji: Kyoufuu ga ichinichijuu fukiareta.
English: A strong wind blew violently all day.
Japanese: 彼は新しいアイデアを吹き込んだ。
Kana: かれは あたらしい アイデアを ふきこんだ。
Romaji: Kare wa atarashii aidea o fukikonda.
English: He instilled new ideas.
Japanese: 映画を吹き替え版で見た。
Kana: えいがを ふきかえばん で みた。
Romaji: Eiga o fukikaeban de mita.
English: I watched the movie in a dubbed version.
Japanese: 窓から冷たい風が吹き付けてくる。
Kana: まどから つめたい かぜが ふきつけてくる。
Romaji: Mado kara tsumetai kaze ga fukitsukete kuru.
English: Cold wind is blowing in through the window.
Japanese: 冬の日本海側は吹きさらしの強風が多い。
Kana: ふゆの にほんかいがわは ふきさらしの きょうふうが おおい。
Romaji: Fuyu no Nihonkai-gawa wa fukisarashi no kyoufuu ga ooi.
English: The Japan Sea side in winter often has strong winds that are exposed to the elements.
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