ぼやける

ぼ

や

け

る

Common wordJLPTN1Freq.FrequencyTop 50,000

ぼやける · ichidan verb

Form	Positive	Negative
Dictionary	ぼやける	ぼやけない
Polite	ぼやけます	ぼやけません
Past polite	ぼやけました	ぼやけませんでした
Past	ぼやけた	ぼやけなかった
Te-form	ぼやけて	ぼやけないで
Desire	ぼやけたい	ぼやけたくない
Potential	ぼやけられるalso ぼやけれる	ぼやけられないalso ぼやけれない
Passive	ぼやけられる	ぼやけられない
Causative	ぼやけさせる	ぼやけさせない
Causative passive	ぼやけさせられる	ぼやけさせられない
Volitional	ぼやけよう
Polite volitional	ぼやけましょう
Imperative	ぼやけろ	ぼやけるな
Conditional	ぼやければ	ぼやけなければ
Tara conditional	ぼやけたら	ぼやけなかったら

Meanings

ichidan verb, intransitive verb

become dim; become blurred; get fuzzy

Describes a loss of sharpness or clarity, often for vision, images, or outlines. Can be used literally (e.g., foggy glasses, out-of-focus photos) or figuratively (e.g., vague memories).

眼鏡めがねが曇くもって視し界かいがぼやける。
My glasses fogged up and my vision became blurred.
この写しゃ真しんはピントが合あってなくて、全ぜん体たいがぼやけている。
This photo is out of focus and the whole thing is blurry.

See all 44 example sentences ›

Usage patterns

〈物もの〉がぼやけるfor something (an image, view, outline) to become blurred
涙なみだで視し界かいがぼやけた。
My vision blurred with tears.
記き憶おくがぼやけるfor memories to become vague or fuzzy
昔むかしの記き憶おくがぼやけてきた。
My old memories have started to become vague.
ピントがぼやけるfor a photo or camera focus to become blurry
写しゃ真しんのピントがぼやけている。
The photo is out of focus.
輪りん郭かくがぼやけるfor an outline or shape to become blurred
霧きりの中なかで山やまの輪りん郭かくがぼやけて見みえた。
In the fog, the mountain's outline looked blurred.

Related words

霞かすむN1
かすむ describes things becoming hazy or misty, often due to fog or distance, while ぼやける is the broader term for any loss of sharpness in vision, images, or memory.
にじむN1
にじむ describes ink or color bleeding and spreading to blur an edge, while ぼやける is the general word for a loss of focus or clarity.
ぶれるN1
ぼやける describes blur from being out of focus or obscured (like fog), while ぶれる describes blur caused specifically by motion or shaking.
ぼけるN1
ぼやける describes a softer, more diffuse loss of clarity, while 暈ける can suggest a stronger or more complete loss of focus or fading.
ぼかすN1
ぼやける is intransitive, describing something becoming blurred on its own, while ぼかす is transitive and means to deliberately blur something.

Opposites

冴さえるN1
冴える means to become clear, sharp, or vivid, the opposite of ぼやける, which means to become blurred or dim.

Don't confuse with

ぼやくN1
Despite the similar sound, ぼやく means to grumble or complain, while ぼやける means to become blurred or fuzzy.
ぼんやりN3
ぼんやり describes a vague or absentminded state (of mind or outline), while ぼやける specifically describes the process of losing sharpness or clarity.

Written forms

ぼやけるUsage94%
Standard hiragana spelling; no kanji form is given.
ボヤけるUsage6%
Katakana variant used for emphasis or in informal writing.

Etymology

Derived from the mimetic root ぼや (indicating vagueness or dimness) plus the verb-forming suffix ける. The exact historical derivation is uncertain.