Wisdom Hidden in Japanese Words with 気 Ki
Since I’ve been doing so many journaling prompts, let’s take a break and talk about reiki 霊気. Two Chinese characters, 霊 (rei) or spirit, and 気 (ki) or universal energy, make up the word reiki. In this context, 気 is the Japanese equivalent of Chi or Qi in Chinese medicine and martial arts. But in modern Japan, the character has mostly become dissociated with this energy.
Still, the character 気 is part of so many common words and expressions that the dictionary has a very hard time defining what it is exactly. For example, this online dictionary lists spirit, mind, mood, atmosphere, motivation, and disposition as its English synonyms, among others.
Because Japanese is my first language, I never really thought about the use of this particular character in so many common words. It’s like how you don’t really think about the word “breakfast” as a combination of the words, “break” and “fast”. It’s just a meal you have in the morning. You don’t wake up and think, “It’s time to break my overnight fast!”, right? But when I look back and break down these common Japanese words and expressions with the context of Chi in mind, they are really insightful!
Examples of 気 in Japanese Words
Here are some common words and expressions with “ki” in them. I’ve simply interpreted 気 as energy here.
- 気持ち (kimochi) / 気分 (kibun) are two interchangeable words meaning both physical and emotional feelings. But if you look at the characters alone, thy mean held energy and energy division, respectively.
- 病気 (byoki) means disease. The characters mean ill energy. The word “healthy” 元気 (genki), on the other hand, uses the characters original energy. If you faint, 気絶 (kizetsu), then your energy is cut off.
- When you first become interested in something, the Japanese expression is 気になる (ki-ni-naru) or becomes energy. When you decide that you like it, then it enters your energy 気に入る( ki-ni-iru).
- If you’re distracted, your energy is scattered 気が散る (ki-ga-chiru); and when unguarded, pulled out 気を抜く (ki-wo-nuku). So naturally, when you need to pay attention and be cautious, you have to attach your energy 気を付ける (ki-wo-tsukeru).
- 気の毒 (ki-no-doku) is used to express condolences and pity, as in “That’s a pity!”, but the characters mean poisoning of energy.
- The characters for 気違い (ki-chigai) or the word “crazy” is interesting. You can interpret it as “wrong energy”, but also simply as “different energy”. Instead of judging someone as being crazy, maybe we can be kinder and view that person as someone who just has a different energy than ourselves.
I’ve only skimmed the surface when it comes to Japanese words that incorporate the character 気 . But it’s enough to make you realize that we’re constantly interacting with energy on a daily basis. I hope this helps you pay attention to what your energy feels like and how it affects others.