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月明かり (つきあかり) Japanese meaning | Kotomora

月つき明あかり

つ

き

あ

か

り

Freq.FrequencyTop 50,000

Meanings

1

Refers to the light of the moon, often in poetic or descriptive contexts.

月つき明あかりの下したを散さん歩ぽした。
We took a walk under the moonlight.

月つき明あかりで本ほんを読よむのは目めに悪わるい。

Reading a book by moonlight is bad for your eyes.

Kanji

月month, moon
明bright, light

Related words

月げっ光こうN1
月明かり is the everyday word for moonlight, while 月光 is slightly more literary or formal.

Don't confuse with

月つき夜よN1
月夜 describes the moonlit night as a whole, while 月明かり refers specifically to the light of the moon itself.

Built from

月つき+明あかり

Written forms

月つき明あかりUsage70%
Standard kanji-kana mixed spelling.
月つき明あかりUsage20%
rarely-used kanji form
Rarely used kanji form; 明り is an uncommon simplification.
月つきあかりUsage10%
Variant with 明 in kana; less common but still used.

Etymology

Compound of 月 (tsuki, 'moon') + 明かり (akari, 'light').