ignorance; unenlightenment
Literary or formal term for lack of knowledge or wisdom; often used in philosophical or Buddhist contexts.
He was ashamed of his own ignorance.
covering; concealing
Rare standalone use; mainly appears in compounds like 蒙昧 (もうまい, ignorance) or 啓蒙 (けいもう, enlightenment).
Abbreviation of 蒙古 (もうこ, Mongolia). Used in historical or compound contexts, not as a standalone modern country name.
See also: 蒙古
The character 蒙 can have the meaning of 'covering' or 'concealing'.
The character 蒙 is sometimes used as an abbreviation for 蒙古 (Mongolia).
蒙古 is the full historical name for Mongolia, while 蒙 alone is just its abbreviation and rarely stands on its own with that meaning.
enlightenment; illumination
ignorant; unenlightened; uncivilized
Mongolian spot; congenital dermal melanocytosis
stupid; foolish; ignorant
royalty fleeing the palace during an emergency
Standard kanji form for all senses.
The kanji 蒙 originally means 'to cover' or 'to conceal', and by extension came to signify ignorance or lack of enlightenment. The abbreviation for Mongolia is a phonetic borrowing.