暗い · i-adjective
| Form | Positive | Negative |
|---|---|---|
| Dictionary | 暗い | 暗くない |
| Polite | 暗いです | 暗くないですalso 暗くありません |
| Past polite | 暗かったです | 暗くなかったですalso 暗くありませんでした |
| Past | 暗かった | 暗くなかった |
| Te-form | 暗くて | 暗くなくて |
| Adverbial | 暗く | |
| Conditional | 暗ければ | 暗くなければ |
| Tara conditional | 暗かったら | 暗くなかったら |
Describes a place, light, water, sky, etc. as lacking light or being hard to see through.
The room was dark, so I turned on the light.
暗い道を一人で歩くのは少し怖い。
Walking alone on a dark road is a little scary.
Used of a person's expression, voice, mood, or atmosphere when it feels gloomy or dispirited.
彼女は暗い顔で帰ってきた。
She came home with a gloomy look on her face.
その知らせを聞いて、みんな暗い気持ちになった。
After hearing the news, everyone felt depressed.
dark in color; dull
Refers to a color or tone being dark, subdued, or not bright.
彼は暗い青のコートを着ていた。
He was wearing a dark blue coat.
この部屋には暗い色の家具が多い。
This room has a lot of dark-colored furniture.
Used figuratively for something with an ominous, troubling, or suspicious shadow over it, especially in phrases like 暗い過去 and 暗い影.
彼には人に言えない暗い過去がある。
He has a dark past he cannot tell people about.
その事故は町の未来に暗い影を落とした。
The accident cast a dark shadow over the town's future.
unpromising; unlikely; hopeless
Common in expressions such as 見通しが暗い or 前途が暗い, meaning that prospects are poor or success seems unlikely.
このままでは、優勝の見通しは暗い。
At this rate, the prospects of winning the championship are poor.
資金が集まらず、計画の前途は暗い。
The plan's future looks bleak because the funds have not been raised.
unfamiliar with; ignorant of
Used specifically in the pattern Xに暗い, meaning that someone lacks knowledge of or is not well informed about X.
Antonyms: 明るい
私は法律に暗いので、専門家に相談した。
I am not familiar with the law, so I consulted an expert.
彼は政治に暗い。
He is ignorant of politics.
This room gets pitch black when you turn off the light.
She had a gloomy look on her face after failing the exam.
The incident cast a dark shadow over the town's future.
The outlook for this industry is bleak.
He's not well informed about politics.
暗い means simply 'dark' with no light implied, while 薄暗い specifies a dim, partially lit state where some light remains.
暗い is the plain i-adjective for 'dark' in general, while 真っ暗 emphasizes total, complete darkness with no light at all.
暗い is the native Japanese word for physical darkness or a gloomy personality, while ダーク is a loanword used more for stylistic, thematic, or color descriptions.
darkness; the dark
dim; dusky; gloomy
stupid; dull-witted; thickheaded · blockhead; idiot; dimwit
gloomy; pessimistic; dark-natured
darkness; gloom
clandestine brothel (Edo period); whorehouse
prostitute · imposter; fraudster; trickster
dim; dusky; gloomy
shady; underhanded; questionable
darkness under trees; gloom beneath branches
Rare kanji spelling associated with deep or obscure darkness. 暗い is the normal spelling.
Rare kanji spelling using 闇; use 暗い in ordinary writing.