気管

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 気管 (きかん) is a noun for the trachea or windpipe carrying air from the throat toward the lungs.
• Basic usage: It appears when locating the airway on a model or describing food entering the wrong passage.
  • 模型で喉から肺へ続く気管を確認した。 — Using a model, we located the trachea connecting the throat to the lungs.
  • 食べ物が気管に入らないようゆっくり飲み込んだ。 — I swallowed slowly to keep food from entering my windpipe.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Trachea and esophagus
  • 気管 is the airway, whereas 食道 is the passage for food. The passage entered is marked with に in the example.