light reflected by snow; brightness of snow
Refers to the ambient light at night or in dim conditions caused by snow reflecting moonlight or other light sources. Often used in poetic or descriptive contexts.
Outside is faintly lit by the light reflected from the snow.
The garden illuminated by snow light was magical.
Standard kanji spelling using 明かり for 'light'.
Variant with あかり in kana; common in literary or poetic contexts.
Alternate kanji form using 明り; less common but still seen.
Compound of 雪 (yuki, 'snow') and 明かり (akari, 'light'). The exact historical derivation is straightforward; the word describes the phenomenon of snow-reflected light.