明あかるい

あ

か

る

い

Common wordJLPTN5Freq.FrequencyTop 5,000

明るい · i-adjective

Form	Positive	Negative
Dictionary	明あかるい	明あかるくない
Polite	明あかるいです	明あかるくないですalso 明あかるくありません
Past polite	明あかるかったです	明あかるくなかったですalso 明あかるくありませんでした
Past	明あかるかった	明あかるくなかった
Te-form	明あかるくて	明あかるくなくて
Adverbial	明あかるく
Conditional	明あかるければ	明あかるくなければ
Tara conditional	明あかるかったら	明あかるくなかったら

Meanings

i-adjective

light; bright; well-lit

Describes physical brightness of a place, room, or light source.

この部屋へやはとても明あかるい。
This room is very bright.
外そとはまだ明あかるい。
It's still light outside.

i-adjective

bright (colour)

Used for vivid, light, or cheerful colours.

彼かの女じょは明あかるい色いろの服ふくが好すきだ。
She likes clothes in bright colours.

i-adjective

cheerful; bright; sunny (disposition)

Describes a person's personality or mood as upbeat and positive.

彼かれは明あかるい性せい格かくで、みんなに好すかれている。
He has a cheerful personality and is liked by everyone.

i-adjective

bright (future); promising; rosy

Used for optimistic outlooks, prospects, or hopeful situations.

彼かれの将しょう来らいは明あかるい。
His future is bright.

i-adjective

knowledgeable (about); familiar (with); well versed (in)

Used in the pattern ...に明るい to indicate expertise or deep familiarity with a subject.

彼かれは法ほう律りつに明あかるい。
He is knowledgeable about law.

i-adjective

fair; clean; impartial

Describes politics, elections, or processes that are transparent and just.

明あかるい選せん挙きょを目め指ざしましょう。
Let's aim for a clean election.

See all 483 example sentences ›

Usage patterns

〈場ば所しょ〉が明あかるいa place is bright/well-lit
この部屋へやは明あかるい。
This room is bright.
〈事こと〉に明あかるいto be knowledgeable about something
彼かれは経けい済ざいに明あかるい。
He is well versed in economics.
明あかるい未み来らいa bright, promising future
彼かれらには明あかるい未み来らいが待まっている。
A bright future awaits them.
明あかるい色いろa bright, vivid colour
彼かの女じょは明あかるい色いろの服ふくを着きている。
She is wearing clothes in a bright colour.
明あかるい性せい格かくa cheerful, sunny personality
彼かれは明あかるい性せい格かくで、みんなに好すかれている。
He has a cheerful personality and is well liked by everyone.
明あかるい選せん挙きょa fair, transparent election
明あかるい選せん挙きょを目め指ざして活かつ動どうしている。
They are campaigning for fair, transparent elections.

Expressions

夜よ目めにも明あかるいbright even in the dark; clearly visible at night
足あし元もとの明あかるいうちにwhile it's still light; before dark · while the going is good; before things get worse
物もの事ごとの明あかるい面めんを見みるlook on the bright side; see the positive side of things

Kanji

明bright, light

Related words· 7

詳くわしいN4sense 5
詳しい stresses detailed, in-depth knowledge of a topic, while 明るい (in the sense of ...に明るい) implies broad, comfortable familiarity.
陽よう気きN3sense 3
陽気 describes a lively, upbeat mood or personality, similar to 明るい but often used as a noun/na-adjective for temperament rather than a general bright quality.
公こう正せいN2sense 6
公正 is a formal term for fairness and impartiality in processes like elections, whereas 明るい in this sense keeps a more everyday, descriptive feel.
明めい朗ろうN1
明るい is the everyday i-adjective for physical brightness or a cheerful vibe, while 明朗 is a more formal na-adjective used to describe an openly cheerful character or clear, honest dealings.

Show 3 more

朗ほがらかN3
明るい is broader and covers physical brightness as well as cheerfulness, while 朗らか focuses specifically on an open, cheerful quality of a person, mood, or clear sky.
さやか
明るい is the common everyday word for 'bright', while さやか is a literary term describing a refreshing clarity of light or sound.
眩まぶしいN3
明るい means bright or cheerful in a neutral, everyday sense, while 眩しい specifically implies light so strong it is painful or impressive to look at.

Opposites· 5

暗くらいN5
暗い is the opposite of 明るい for physical darkness, a gloomy personality, or a pessimistic outlook.
真まっ暗くらN2
明るい means 'bright' or 'hopeful', the direct opposite of 真っ暗 in both its literal (light) and figurative (outlook) senses.
湿しめっぽいN1
明るい means bright or cheerful, the emotional opposite of the gloomy, heavy feeling described by 湿っぽい.

Show 2 more

薄うす暗ぐらいN3
明るい means 'bright' and is the direct opposite of 薄暗い, which describes a dim, shadowy light level.
重おも苦くるしい
明るい describes a bright, cheerful atmosphere, contrasting with the dark, stifling mood of 重苦しい.

Don't confuse with

明あきらかN3
明るい shares the kanji 明 and means physically bright or cheerful, while 明らか (in its rare literary sense of brightness aside) mainly means abstractly clear or obvious.

Word family

明あかるみ
bright place; the light · the open; light of day; public knowledge
明あかる
become bright; become clear
明あかるさ
brightness; luminance; cheerfulness
明あかるむ
brighten; grow light
薄うす明あかるい
dimly lit; faintly light

Written forms

明あかるいUsage98%
Standard kanji spelling for all senses.
あかるいUsage2%
明あかるいUsage<1%
search-only kanji form
Search-only kanji form; not used in modern writing.

Etymology

The modern adjective continues classical 明るし, built on the stem 明かる-, “bright; clear.” 明 is a later semantic spelling.