昼なお暗い · i-adjective
| Form | Positive | Negative |
|---|---|---|
| Dictionary | 昼なお暗い | 昼なお暗くない |
| Polite | 昼なお暗いです | 昼なお暗くないですalso 昼なお暗くありません |
| Past polite | 昼なお暗かったです | 昼なお暗くなかったですalso 昼なお暗くありませんでした |
| Past | 昼なお暗かった | 昼なお暗くなかった |
| Te-form | 昼なお暗くて | 昼なお暗くなくて |
| Adverbial | 昼なお暗く | |
| Conditional | 昼なお暗ければ | 昼なお暗くなければ |
| Tara conditional | 昼なお暗かったら | 昼なお暗くなかったら |
dark even in the daytime
Describes a place that is so shaded or enclosed that it remains dark during the day. Often used for dense forests, deep valleys, or heavily curtained rooms.
The forest was dark even in the daytime, and I couldn't see my feet well.
The bottom of the deep valley was a place that was dark even during the day.
真っ暗 means pitch-dark, usually implying complete absence of light, while 昼なお暗い specifically emphasizes darkness persisting despite it being daytime.
Standard kanji spelling using なお as the adverb.
Variant using the kanji 尚 for なお; less common but still encountered.
Rare variant with outdated kanji 猶 for なお.
A set phrase combining 昼 (daytime), the adverb なお (still, even), and 暗い (dark). The exact origin is uncertain, but it follows a classical pattern of adverbial modification.