inhale · absorb

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 吸 means drawing something inward; its on-reading is きゅう, and the verb 吸う is read すう.
• Basic usage: 空気を吸う means inhaling air; 吸収, read きゅうしゅう, means absorption.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Interpreting the object
  • 煙草を吸う means smoking. It uses the same verb as 空気を吸う, but natural Korean and English wording changes with the object.
  • 吸う inflects as in 吸いました: the final う of すう changes to い before ました is added.