innate cheerfulness; sunny disposition
Describes a person's fundamental cheerful, optimistic nature. Often contrasted with 根暗 (ねくら), meaning innate gloominess.
Antonyms: 根暗
She has a sunny disposition, so she always brightens up the people around her.
innately cheerful person; happy-go-lucky person; natural optimist
Refers to a person who is fundamentally cheerful and optimistic. Often used in casual conversation to describe someone's personality.
A cheerful nature helps in making friends.
There are many cheerful people in our class, so every day is fun.
He is a natural optimist through and through; I've never seen him down.
Katakana spelling is common and matches usual-kana usage. The hiragana ねあか is also used.
Kanji spelling using 根 (root/nature) and 明 (bright). Rarely used; the word is almost always written in kana.
Irregular okurigana variant; very rare.
Compound of 根 (ね, root/nature) and 明 (あか, bright). The word likely originated as slang contrasting with 根暗 (ねくら, root-dark). The exact derivation is uncertain, but it is now a common colloquial term.