黯
black, dark
Strokes21
Readings
On'yomi
- アン
Kun'yomi
- くら.い
Meaning
黯 centers on deep, somber darkness: a blackness that feels heavy or gloomy. The given meanings 'black' and 'dark' both point to this same core idea of lightless, shadowed quality.
Study
Etymology
黯 combines 黑 (black) with 音 (sound), likely to express a dark, gloomy quality associated with deep or muffled sound. The exact historical development is uncertain, but the phono-semantic structure is plausible.
Meaning mnemonic
The left side 黑 is blackness, and the right side 音 is sound. Imagine a dark, silent room where even sound seems swallowed by the deep blackness—黯 is that heavy, gloomy dark.
Reading mnemonic
For アン, picture an unlit room so dark you can't see your own hand: 'un' as in 'unseen' cues アン, and the blackness of 黯 makes everything unseen.