also: しらしら
adverb taking the 'to' particle, adverb
growing light; dawning
Describes the sky gradually becoming light at dawn. Often used with 明ける or in literary descriptions.
東の空が白々と明けてきた。
The eastern sky grew light with dawn.
彼は恐怖で顔が白々となった。
His face turned pale with fear.
adverb taking the 'to' particle, adverb
transparently; obviously; feigning ignorance
Describes a situation where someone is pretending not to know something, but their act is obvious and unconvincing. Often used in the phrase 白々しい.
彼は白々と知らないふりをした。
He transparently pretended not to know.
Kana spelling, used when the kanji is avoided or for clarity.
Alternate reading; less common and may be considered non-standard for some senses.
Variant kanji spelling; less common than 白々.
Adjective form meaning 'transparent (lie/act)' or 'obvious'; more common than the adverbial 白々 for the 'feigning ignorance' sense.
Reduplication of 白 (しら, 'white'), with the reading しらじら likely arising from rendaku. The adverbial form 白々と is used for visual paleness and metaphorical transparency.