can a human breathe in water

Question: can a human breathe in water
- Keywords:
  breathe
Asked by yahsen to Sally, Mmboyi, Mike, Michael, Jacinta, Gliday, Elkana, Edna, Arnold on 17 Jul 2025.
- Michael Kimwele answered on 17 Jul 2025:
  
  No, humans cannot breathe underwater in the way that fish do. Humans lack the necessary gill structures and their lungs are designed to extract oxygen from air, not water. While humans can hold their breath for a limited time, they cannot extract oxygen from water to sustain life.
- Jacinta Nzilani answered on 17 Jul 2025:
  
  Hey! 😄
  Nope, humans can’t breathe in water like fish do! 🐠 But we can control our breath in water.
  
  🌊 Here’s why:
  Our lungs are made to take in oxygen from the air, not from water.
  
  Water doesn’t have enough oxygen in a form our lungs can use.
  
  If you try to breathe in water, your lungs fill with liquid instead of air, and that causes drowning.
  
  🐟 But how do fish do it?
  Fish have gills, not lungs. Gills can pull oxygen out of water, something humans simply can’t do!

Question: can a human breathe in water