ほのめかす

ほ

の

め

か

す

Common wordJLPTN1Freq.FrequencyTop 100,000

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

Meanings

godan verb (-su), transitive verb

hint at; suggest; imply; allude to

usually written using kana alone

Used when someone indirectly conveys a meaning, feeling, or intention without stating it outright. Often appears in contexts where the speaker deliberately avoids being explicit.

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.
その記き事じは汚お職しょくの可か能のう性せいをほのめかしている。
The article suggests the possibility of corruption.

See all 21 example sentences ›

Usage patterns

〈事こと〉を仄ほのめかすto hint at something
彼かれは会かい議ぎで退たい職しょくを仄ほのめかした。
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
彼かの女じょは友ゆう人じんに恋こい人びとができたことを仄ほのめかした。
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
先せん生せいはそれとなく彼かれのミスを仄ほのめかした。
The teacher subtly hinted at his mistake.

Kanji

仄be seen dimly, suggest, intimate

Transitive / intransitive

仄ほのめく
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

示し唆さN1
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.
匂におわせる
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.
暗あんに
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.
暗あん示じN1
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.

Opposites

明めい言げん
明言する means to state something clearly and directly, the opposite of 仄めかす, which conveys meaning indirectly without saying it outright.

Word family

ほのめかし
hint; intimation; suggestion; inkling

Written forms

ほのめかすUsage86%
Standard modern spelling. This word is usually written using kana alone.
仄ほのめかすUsage14%
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.