くらます

く

ら

ま

す

Freq.FrequencyTop 50,000

Meanings

1

godan verb (-su), transitive verb

conceal oneself; hide; abscond

usually written using kana alone

Used for making oneself disappear or hiding one's whereabouts, often with a nuance of slipping away secretly.

彼かれは借しゃっ金きんから逃のがれるために姿すがたをくらました。
He disappeared to escape his debts.

犯はん人にんは夜よるの闇やみに紛まぎれて行方ゆくえをくらました。

The culprit vanished into the darkness of the night.

2

godan verb (-su), transitive verb

deceive; fool; dissemble

usually written using kana alone

Used for deceiving someone, often by hiding the truth or one's intentions; can imply a cunning or sly act.

彼かれは巧たくみな話わ術じゅつで相あい手てをくらました。
He deceived the other person with his clever way of speaking.
彼かの女じょは悲かなしみを笑え顔がおでくらました。
She hid her sadness behind a smile.

Written forms

くらますUsage88%
Usually written in kana; the kanji forms 晦ます and 暗ます are rare and may not be recognized by many readers.
晦くらますUsage12%
Rare kanji form; the character 晦 is not commonly used in modern Japanese.
暗くらます
Rare kanji form; 暗 is more common but this spelling is still unusual for this verb.

Kanji

晦dark, disappear
暗darkness, disappear, shade

Similar words

隠かくす
隠す is a general verb for hiding something or someone, while くらます emphasizes making something or oneself disappear from sight or knowledge, often with a sense of secrecy or deception.
騙だます
騙す means to trick or deceive, often with malicious intent; くらます in the sense of deceiving is more about misleading or hiding the truth rather than outright trickery.

Etymology

Derived from the adjective 暗い (くらい, 'dark') with the verb-forming suffix ます, originally meaning 'to make dark' or 'to obscure'. The exact historical development is uncertain, but the meaning extended to hiding or concealing.