How to say "Dark" or "Gloomy" in Japanese | 暗い

If you are wondering what's the Japanese word for "Dark" or "Gloomy" you've come to the right place!

the Japanese word for "Dark" or "Gloomy" is "Kurai", written in japanese as "暗い".

Here's a more detailed explanation:

The Japanese adjective '暗い (くらい)' primarily means 'dark', referring to a lack of light. It can also mean 'gloomy', describing a somber or depressing atmosphere. For example: The room is dark「部屋が暗い」(へやがくらい). His mood is gloomy「彼の気分は暗い」(かれのきぶんはくらい). This word is often used to describe physical darkness, such as a dark room or night, as well as emotional states or situations that feel heavy or depressing. Note that the second meaning is distinct and unrelated to the first, as it refers to an emotional or atmospheric quality rather than a physical one.

The Kanji are characters that represent meanings. As you can see, this word is made up of 1 Kanji:

The kanji "暗" means "Darkness" and can be read as "An" and "Kura"

Now, let's make sure you understand this word the other way around too.

What does "Kurai" mean in japanese?

"Kurai" means "Dark" or "Gloomy" .

To learn more about the kanji in this word, checkout this pages:

To make really sure you learn this word, We've prepared an interactive lesson for you. You are going to learn the readings and meanings of this word and of the characters that comprise it.

But first, you need to know a little bit about Hiragana and Katakana.

Hiragana and katakana are japanese syllabaries, this means that each character represents a syllable.

This are the characters you need to know for this lesson:

The hiragana "い" is read as "i". The hiragana "あ" is read as "a". The hiragana "ん" is read as "n". The hiragana "く" is read as "ku". And The hiragana "ら" is read as "ra".

About kanji, you need to know that most Kanji have two types of readings: Kunyomi, based on native japanese pronunciation. And onyomi, based on chinese pronunciation.