The Meaning of sukui [救い] In Japanese

救い
すくい
Romaji: sukui N4

What does 救い mean?

Translation and Meaning

salvation, rescue, relief

Definition

救い means salvation or rescue; it denotes deliverance from danger or distress, and can refer to both tangible rescue and emotional or spiritual relief, often used in religious or moral contexts as well as everyday language.

Type

noun (名詞, meishi)

Stroke Order

Meanings

  • deliverance from danger or suffering; the act or state of being saved
  • spiritual or moral deliverance, including comforting relief or divine intervention
  • figurative relief in emotional distress, a sense of hope or reprieve

Etymology

From the verb 救う (sukuu) with the nominalizing suffix い, forming a noun that denotes the act or result of saving.

Composition

  • 救: to save, rescue
  • い: nominalizing suffix turning the verb into a noun, indicating the state or result of saving

Usage

Used in formal writing, religious discourse, and everyday speech to describe being saved or the act of saving; common constructions include 救いを求める (sukui o motomeru), 救いをもたらす (sukui o motarasu), 救い主 (sukui nushi), 救いの言葉 (sukui no kotoba), 救いがない (sukui ga nai) (sukui o motomeru, sukui o motarasu, sukui nushi, sukui no kotoba, sukui ga nai).
💡 Tips
Mnemonic: imagine a lifebuoy incorporated into the kanji 救, and think of the -い as turning the act of saving into the state of being saved, i.e., salvation.

Variations

  • 救済 (kyūsai) – relief, remediation
  • 救出 (kyūshutsu) – rescue from danger
  • 助け (tasuke) – help or aid
  • 絶望 (zetsubō) – despair (antonym)

Example Phrases

  • 彼の言葉が私の救いだった。
    Kare no kotoba ga watashi no sukui datta.
    His words were my salvation.
    Lista:
    • 彼の (kare no) – his
    • 言葉が (kotoba ga) – words (subject)
    • 私の (watashi no) – my
    • 救い (sukui) – salvation
    • だった (datta) – was
    In this sentence, the noun 「救い」 means salvation and functions as a predicative noun linked by だった; 私の modifies it to express ‘my salvation’.
救い