窒息

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 窒息 is read as ちっそく and means “suffocation”.
• Basic usage: The examples show a simulated suffocation accident in a training video and the danger of suffocation from smoke.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Distinguishing senses and uses
  • It is inability to breathe because the airway is blocked or oxygen is lacking, a life-threatening state rather than ordinary stuffiness.