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ほのめかす (honomekasu) Japanese meaning: hint at | Kotomora
Common word› JLPT N1 › Freq. Frequency Top 100,000 Conjugation ほのめかす · godan verb (-su)
Form Positive Negative Dictionary ほのめかす ほのめかさない Polite ほのめかします ほのめかしません Past polite ほのめかしました ほのめかしませんでした Past ほのめかした ほのめかさなかった Te-form ほのめかして ほのめかさないで Desire ほのめかしたい ほのめかしたくない Potential ほのめかせる ほのめかせない Passive ほのめかされる ほのめかされない Causative ほのめかさせる ほのめかさせない Causative passive ほのめかさせられる ほのめかさせられない Volitional ほのめかそう Polite volitional ほのめかしましょう Imperative ほのめかせ ほのめかすな Conditional ほのめかせば ほのめかさなければ Tara conditional ほのめかしたら ほのめかさなかったら
Pairs with 仄めく › Report an issue with this page
彼かれ は 辞じ 職しょく する 意い 向こう を ほのめかし た 。
He hinted at his intention to resign.
The article suggests the possibility of corruption.
Usage patterns 〈 事こと 〉 を 仄ほの めかす to hint at something
He hinted at his resignation during the meeting.
〈 人ひと 〉 に 〈 事こと 〉 を 仄ほの めかす to hint something to someone
She hinted to her friend that she had gotten a boyfriend.
それとなく 仄ほの めかす to hint at something subtly, without being direct
The teacher subtly hinted at his mistake.
Kanji 仄 be seen dimly, suggest, intimate Transitive / intransitive 仄めく is intransitive, describing something dimly glimmering or faintly appearing, while 仄めかす is the transitive verb meaning to make something appear or be sensed indirectly, i.e. to hint at it.
Related words 示唆する is a formal, often academic word for pointing to something based on evidence, while 仄めかす is about a personal, deliberately vague hint.
匂わせる is a casual, modern word often used for hinting at feelings or relationships with a slightly attention-seeking nuance, while 仄めかす is more neutral and broadly applicable.
ほのめかす is a verb meaning 'to hint at' or 'to suggest', while 暗に is an adverb describing the manner of conveying something indirectly.
ほのめかす is a verb meaning 'to hint at' something personal or sensitive, whereas 暗示 is a noun that can describe hints in general or technical (psychological) contexts.
Written forms ほのめかす Usage 86%
Standard modern spelling. This word is usually written using kana alone.
仄ほの めかす Usage 14%
Kanji spelling using 仄, which is not a jōyō kanji and is rarely used in modern writing. It is usually written in kana.
Etymology Derived from the adjective 仄か (ほのか, 'faint, dim') + the verb-forming suffix めかす, which adds a sense of 'to make something appear like' or 'to show signs of'. The combination gives the meaning of making something faintly perceptible or hinting at it.
