also: くろぐも · こくうん
dark clouds; black clouds
Refers to thick, dark, often threatening clouds. Can be used literally for storm clouds or figuratively for an ominous atmosphere.
Dark clouds covered the sky, and it looked like rain could start at any moment.
Dark clouds of recession are gathering.
Standard kanji spelling. Most commonly read くろくも.
Rendaku reading; less common but still encountered.
Sino-Japanese reading; rare and mostly literary or formal.
Mixed kanji-kana spelling, sometimes used for clarity or in children's materials.
Compound of 黒 (くろ, 'black') and 雲 (くも, 'cloud'). The reading くろぐも shows rendaku (sequential voicing). The on'yomi reading こくうん is a Sino-Japanese compound.