The Meaning of ikiru [生きる] In Japanese

生きる
いきる
Romaji: ikiru N5

What does 生きる mean?

Translation and Meaning

to live, to be alive, to exist

Definition

生きる means to live or be alive, describing the act of continuing to exist as a living being in the world; it encompasses vitality, endurance, and the ongoing process of life rather than a single moment of being alive.

Type

verb (godan, 五段動詞)

Stroke Order

Meanings

  • Be alive or exist in the world, the core sense of living.
  • Continue to live or endure through time, often with a sense of resilience.
  • Live life in a certain way or pursue life with vitality, including personal goals and values.
  • In extended use, to survive or persist in challenging circumstances.

Etymology

Native Japanese verb whose form has evolved within Old Japanese toward the modern ikiru; the kanji 生 was later assigned to represent the semantic domain of life in writing.

Composition

  • 生: life, existence
  • きる: verb-forming suffix that turns a noun into a verb indicating the action of life (okurigana)

Usage

Used in everyday speech to describe being alive, existing, or continuing to live; conjugates across tenses and politeness levels; common in both casual conversation and formal writing; often appears in compounds and phrases such as ikiteiru (living now) and ikiru in philosophical or motivational contexts.
💡 Tips
Mnemonic: imagine 生 as a seed of life; adding きる turns life into the living act itself, helping you remember ikiru as ‘to live’.

Variations

  • 暮らす (kurasu) – to live, reside
  • 生存する (seizon suru) – to survive
  • 存在する (sonzai suru) – to exist

Example Phrases

  • 今朝、私は日常の中で生きる意味を探した。
    Kesa, watashi wa nichijou no naka de ikiru imi o sagashita.
    This morning, I searched for the meaning of life in daily life.
    Lista:
    • 今朝 (kesa) – this morning
    • 私は (watashi wa) – I
    • 日常の中で (nichijou no naka de) – in daily life
    • 生きる意味を (ikiru imi o) – the meaning of living
    • 探した (sagashita) – searched
    The verb 「生きる」 means ‘to live’; here it forms 生きる意味 meaning ‘the meaning of life’ or ‘the meaning of living’.
生きる