Copyright © 2026 Kotomora. All Rights Reserved.
闇から闇に葬る (やみからやみにほうむる) Japanese meaning | Kotomora
Meanings 1
expression, godan verb (-ru)
cover up ; hush up ; shroud in darkness
Used for deliberately hiding a scandal, crime, or inconvenient truth so that it never comes to light. Often implies a secretive, possibly illicit, cover-up.
は
不ふ
祥しょう
事じ
を
闇やみ
から
闇やみ
に
葬ほうむ
ろう
と
し
た
。
The politician tried to cover up the scandal.
2
expression, godan verb (-ru)
have a secret abortion
Euphemistic, somewhat dated expression for terminating a pregnancy in secret, often in contexts where abortion was illegal or heavily stigmatized. Rare in modern everyday speech.
Written forms 闇やみ から 闇やみ に 葬ほうむ る
Standard kanji spelling for this fixed expression.
やみからやみに 葬ほうむ る
Kana spelling of the first part; sometimes used for clarity or in informal writing.
Kanji 闇 get dark, gloom, disorder Similar words 葬ほうむ る The core verb meaning 'to bury' or 'to consign to oblivion'. 闇から闇に葬る is a fixed idiomatic expression using this verb.
もみ 消け す Also means 'to hush up' or 'to cover up', but is more general and can be used for minor incidents or rumors, while 闇から闇に葬る has a darker, more final nuance of burying something in complete secrecy.
Etymology Literally 'to bury from darkness into darkness'. The expression uses the image of moving something from one dark place to another, leaving no trace. The exact origin is uncertain, but it likely developed as a metaphor for permanently hiding something shameful or illegal.
