霞かすむ

か

す

む

Common wordJLPTN1Freq.FrequencyTop 50,000

霞む · godan verb (-mu)

Form	Positive	Negative
Dictionary	霞かすむ	霞かすまない
Polite	霞かすみます	霞かすみません
Past polite	霞かすみました	霞かすみませんでした
Past	霞かすんだ	霞かすまなかった
Te-form	霞かすんで	霞かすまないで
Desire	霞かすみたい	霞かすみたくない
Potential	霞かすめる	霞かすめない
Passive	霞かすまれる	霞かすまれない
Causative	霞かすませる	霞かすませない
Causative passive	霞かすませられるalso 霞かすまされる	霞かすませられないalso 霞かすまされない
Volitional	霞かすもう
Polite volitional	霞かすみましょう
Imperative	霞かすめ	霞かすむな
Conditional	霞かすめば	霞かすまなければ
Tara conditional	霞かすんだら	霞かすまなかったら

Meanings

godan verb (-mu), intransitive verb

become misty; become hazy

usually written using kana alone

Describes landscapes, views, or the air becoming obscured by mist, fog, or haze. Often used for natural scenery.

遠とおくの山やまが霞かすんで見みえる。
The distant mountains look hazy.
朝あさもやで景色けしきが霞かすんでいる。
The scenery is misty with morning fog.

godan verb (-mu), intransitive verb

get blurry; grow dim

usually written using kana alone

Used for vision, light, or outlines becoming unclear. The kanji 翳む is specific to this sense but rare; 霞む or kana is more common.

涙なみだで視し界かいが霞かすんだ。
My vision blurred with tears.
明あかりが霞かすんで見みえる。
The light looks dim.

godan verb (-mu), intransitive verb

be overshadowed; be outshone

usually written using kana alone

Figurative use: someone or something is made to seem less important or impressive by comparison. Often used with ～に霞む.

彼かれの才さい能のうは先せん輩ぱいの前まえに霞かすんでしまった。
His talent was overshadowed by his senior's.
新しん作さくの人にん気きに霞かすんで、旧きゅう作さくは忘わすれられた。
The old work was forgotten, outshone by the popularity of the new one.

See all 46 example sentences ›

Usage patterns

〈場ば所しょ〉が霞かすんで見みえるa place looks hazy/misty in the distance
遠とおくの山やまが霞かすんで見みえる。
The distant mountains look hazy.
〈物もの〉の輪りん郭かくが霞かすむthe outline of something becomes blurry
疲つかれで文も字じの輪りん郭かくが霞かすんできた。
The outlines of the letters started to blur from fatigue.
〈人ひと〉の活かつ躍やくに霞かすむto be overshadowed by someone's achievements
彼かれの活かつ躍やくに他ほかの選せん手しゅたちが霞かすんでしまった。
The other players were overshadowed by his outstanding performance.

Expressions

目めが霞かすむto have blurry vision; to have bleary eyes; to have dim eyesight
遠とおくに霞かすむloom in the distance; be hazy in the distance

Kanji

霞be hazy, grow dim, blurred
翳hold aloft

Related words· 7

曇くもるN4sense 1
曇る describes a sky, glass, or mirror becoming cloudy or a face turning gloomy, while 霞む specifically describes haziness from mist, distance, or tears.
ぼやけるN1sense 2
ぼやける is a casual, general word for anything becoming blurry (vision, memory, focus), while 霞む carries a veil-like, misty nuance often tied to natural scenery or tears.
見み劣おとり sense 3
見劣りする directly means to look inferior by comparison, which overlaps with the figurative use of 霞む to mean being outshone by someone or something else.
煙けむるN1sense 1
煙る describes scenery looking smoky or hazy, similar to 霞む, but 煙る leans more toward smoke-like haze while 霞む leans toward mist or fog.

Show 3 more

ぼけるN1
霞む is used especially for vision or distant scenery becoming hazy, while 暈ける covers a wider range including photos, memories, and outlines.
にじむN1
霞む describes vision or scenery becoming hazy, often from mist or distance, while 滲む is used more for tears or ink causing blur.
潤うるむN1
霞む describes something becoming hazy or indistinct like mist, while 潤む specifically implies moisture, often tears, causing the blur.

Opposites

晴はれるN5sense 1
晴れる means the sky or air clears up, the opposite of 霞む describing scenery becoming misty or hazy.

Don't confuse with

くらむ sense 2
眩む (as in 目が眩む) means to be dazzled or dizzy from bright light, while 霞む (目が霞む) means vision becomes blurry or misty, a different sensation despite the similar phrasing.

Written forms

霞かすむUsage44%
Standard kanji spelling for mist, haze, and overshadowing senses. Preferred in formal writing.
かすむUsage56%
Kana spelling is common in everyday writing.
翳かすむ
Rare kanji variant specifically for blurriness or dimness of vision or light. Not used for mist or overshadowing.

Etymology

Derived from the noun 霞 (kasumi, 'mist, haze') with the verbal suffix む. The kanji 霞 is used for mist-related meanings, while 翳 is a rare variant for dimness or blurriness.