人工呼吸

• Reading: じんこうこきゅう
• Romaji: jinkou kokyuu
• Kanji breakdown: 人工 (jinkou) — artificial, man-made; 呼吸 (kokyuu) — breathing, respiration
• Pronunciation: /dʑiŋ.koː.ko.kjɯː/

Meaning

Artificial respiration; CPR. A life-saving technique to restore breathing in someone who has stopped breathing.

A compound noun combining 人工 (artificial) and 呼吸 (breathing/respiration). Used in medical and emergency contexts. Often paired with 心臓マッサージ (cardiac massage) as part of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (心肺蘇生). The verb form is 人工呼吸を施す or 人工呼吸を行う.

Examples

1. 心停止した患者に人工呼吸と心臓マッサージを施した。 They performed artificial respiration and chest compressions on the patient who had gone into cardiac arrest.
2. 救命講習で人工呼吸の正しい手順を習った。 I learned the correct procedure for artificial respiration in a lifesaving course.
3. 溺れた子どもを岸に引き上げ、すぐに人工呼吸を行った。 They pulled the drowning child onto the shore and immediately began performing artificial respiration.

Usage Guide

Context: emergency medicine, first aid, medical training, rescue

Tone: technical, urgent

Origin & History

Sino-Japanese compound: 人工 (jinkou) means artificial or man-made, and 呼吸 (kokyuu) means breathing or respiration. The term reflects the practice of manually restoring breath, formalised as a medical procedure in the 20th century.

Cultural Context

Era: Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal