暗い · i-adjective
| Form | Positive | Negative |
|---|---|---|
| Dictionary | 暗い | 暗くない |
| Polite | 暗いです | 暗くないですalso 暗くありません |
| Past polite | 暗かったです | 暗くなかったですalso 暗くありませんでした |
| Past | 暗かった | 暗くなかった |
| Te-form | 暗くて | 暗くなくて |
| Adverbial | 暗く | |
| Conditional | 暗ければ | 暗くなければ |
| Tara conditional | 暗かったら | 暗くなかったら |
Describes a place, light, water, sky, etc. as lacking light or being hard to see through.
The room was dark, so I turned on the light.
Walking alone on a dark road is a little scary.
Used of a person's expression, voice, mood, or atmosphere when it feels gloomy or dispirited.
She came home with a gloomy look on her face.
After hearing the news, everyone felt depressed.
dark in color; dull
Refers to a color or tone being dark, subdued, or not bright.
He was wearing a dark blue coat.
This room has a lot of dark-colored furniture.
Used figuratively for something with an ominous, troubling, or suspicious shadow over it, especially in phrases like 暗い過去 and 暗い影.
He has a dark past he cannot tell people about.
The accident cast a dark shadow over the town's future.
unpromising; unlikely; hopeless
Common in expressions such as 見通しが暗い or 前途が暗い, meaning that prospects are poor or success seems unlikely.
At this rate, the prospects of winning the championship are poor.
The plan's future looks bleak because the funds have not been raised.
unfamiliar with; ignorant of
Used specifically in the pattern Xに暗い, meaning that someone lacks knowledge of or is not well informed about X.
Antonyms: 明るい
I am not familiar with the law, so I consulted an expert.
He is ignorant of politics.
This room gets pitch black when you turn off the light.
She had a gloomy look on her face after failing the exam.
The incident cast a dark shadow over the town's future.
The outlook for this industry is bleak.
He's not well informed about politics.
暗い means simply 'dark' with no light implied, while 薄暗い specifies a dim, partially lit state where some light remains.
暗い is the plain i-adjective for 'dark' in general, while 真っ暗 emphasizes total, complete darkness with no light at all.
暗い is the native Japanese word for physical darkness or a gloomy personality, while ダーク is a loanword used more for stylistic, thematic, or color descriptions.
darkness; the dark
dim; dusky; gloomy
stupid; dull-witted; thickheaded · blockhead; idiot; dimwit
gloomy; pessimistic; dark-natured
darkness; gloom
clandestine brothel (Edo period); whorehouse
prostitute · imposter; fraudster; trickster
dim; dusky; gloomy
shady; underhanded; questionable
darkness under trees; gloom beneath branches
Rare kanji spelling associated with deep or obscure darkness. 暗い is the normal spelling.
Rare kanji spelling using 闇; use 暗い in ordinary writing.