暗あん々あんのうちに

あ

ん

あ

ん

の

う

ち

に

Meanings

1

expression, adverb

secretly; covertly; tacitly

Describes actions done in secret, without being noticed, or with implicit understanding. Often used in formal or written contexts. Related to 暗々裏.

Written forms

暗あん々あんのうちに
Standard kanji spelling using 暗 (darkness).
闇あん々あんのうちに
Variant using 闇 (darkness); less common but acceptable.
暗あん暗あんのうちに
Old-style kanji form without iteration marks; rarely used in modern writing.
闇あん闇あんのうちに
Old-style kanji form without iteration marks; rarely used in modern writing.

Kanji

暗darkness, disappear, shade
闇get dark, gloom, disorder

Similar words

暗あん々あん裏り
Synonymous expression meaning 'secretly' or 'behind the scenes'; 暗々のうちに is more adverbial and phrase-like.

Etymology

Compound of 暗々 (reduplication of 暗, 'darkness', emphasizing secrecy) + のうちに ('within, while'). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the phrase has been used in formal Japanese to mean 'in secret' or 'covertly'.