also: うすごろも
thin silk; sheer silk
Refers to lightweight, transparent silk fabric. Often used in literary or historical contexts.
She was wearing a kimono of thin silk.
Figurative use, often in expressions like 薄絹をかけたような (as if covered with a thin veil).
The incident remained a mystery shrouded in a thin veil.
絹 is the general word for silk, while 薄絹 specifically means thin or sheer silk.
ベール is a more common loanword for 'veil' in both literal and figurative senses, while 薄絹 is a literary Japanese term.
Standard kanji spelling for thin silk and its figurative uses.
Rare variant using 衣 (clothing); also read うすごろも.
Alternate reading for 薄衣; less common than うすぎぬ.
Rare variant using 帛 (silk).
Compound of 薄 (usu-, 'thin') + 絹 (kinu, 'silk'). The reading うすぎぬ is a regular rendaku form.