Skip to content
Kotomora

隂

shady, secret, dark, mysterious, cold, the negative of female principle in nature

Strokes12

Readings

On'yomi

  • イン

Kun'yomi

  • かげ
  • かげ.る

Meaning

隂 centers on the absence of light or openness: a shady, dark, or secret quality. It extends naturally to coldness and the yin principle as the hidden, receptive side of nature.

Study

Etymology

隂 is a variant form of 陰. It combines ⻖ (mound, hill) with 镸, a component that likely contributes to the idea of shade or darkness, as the shady side of a hill.

Meaning mnemonic

The left side ⻖ is a hill, and the right side 镸 looks like a covered, shadowy area. Picture the shady, dark side of a hill where secrets hide and cold lingers.

Reading mnemonic

For イン, imagine an inn hidden in the shade of a hill: inn -> イン, a dark, secret place.