溜息
ためいき · tameiki · JLPT N2 · noun
sigh
💨 溜 = store up + 息 = breath: breath stored up, then let out
The kanji 溜息 is often written 溜め息 (ためいき). 溜 means to store or accumulate, and 息 means breath. A sigh is breath you have been holding in and then release.
溜 — water 氵 + 留 (liú, stay)
A semantic-phonetic compound: the water radical 氵 gives the meaning (smooth, slippery, flowing) while 留 supplies the sound. Originally describing water flowing swiftly and smoothly, it extended to mean 'slip,' 'glide,' or 'sneak away,' as well as 'slippery' surfaces.