Translation guide
A guide to expressing 'haze' in Japanese, covering atmospheric haze, mental confusion, and related expressions.
The mountains are hazy.
My mind is hazy.
Describing reduced visibility due to dust, smoke, or moisture in the air.
General term for haze, mist, or blur. Often used for spring haze or distant views becoming obscured.
The distant mountains look hazy.
A spring haze is hanging in the air.
Thin mist or haze, often over water or in the morning. Slightly more literary than 霞.
Smoke and fog; smog. Used in technical or weather contexts.
Describing a state of mental fog, confusion, or unclear thinking.
Literally 'head is hazy', meaning to feel spaced out or mentally foggy.
Describing memories that are unclear or vague.
Memory is vague or hazy. 曖昧 means ambiguous or unclear.
Describing a soft, blurred, or hazy look in images or vision.
A haze is hanging over the lake.
A smog advisory has been issued.
My head feels hazy from lack of sleep.
Consciousness becomes hazy or dim; often used for medical or intoxicated states.
My consciousness is hazy from the fever.
Dazed, dim, hazy state of mind. Often used in compounds like 朦朧状態.
He muttered in a hazy state of consciousness.
My memory of last night is hazy.
Memory is dim or hazy. おぼろげ implies faintness, like a hazy moon.
My childhood memories are hazy.
Soft focus effect in photography, creating a hazy or dreamy look.
Take a portrait with a soft focus (hazy effect).
To be blurred or hazy. Can be used for vision or images.
The photo is hazy/blurry.
I can't see ahead because of thick fog
The loanword ヘイズ (heizu) is sometimes used for 'haze' in technical contexts (e.g., haze pollution), but it is not common. Stick to native words like 霞 or 靄 for natural Japanese.