taru-adjective, adverb taking the 'to' particle
Describes vegetation, forests, or undergrowth that is thick, overgrown, and luxuriant. Often used with と (e.g., 鬱蒼と茂る) or as a たる adjective (e.g., 鬱蒼たる森). Conveys a sense of wild, impenetrable greenery.
I walked through the densely overgrown forest.
The garden was covered in lush, thick greenery.
鬱蒼 is the standard modern word for describing thick, shadowy vegetation, while 鬱 in this same sense is an extremely rare literary usage.
Standard kanji spelling for dense, thick vegetation.
Kana spelling is common when the kanji are considered difficult or when the writer prefers a softer look.
Variant using the simplified form 欝 for 鬱. Less common but still encountered.
Rarely used kanji form. 葱 means 'green onion' but here contributes to the sense of lush greenery.
鬱 (うつ) means 'dense' or 'gloomy', and 蒼 (そう) means 'blue' or 'green' (often of vegetation). Together they form a compound describing thick, dark greenery. The reading うっそう comes from the kanji readings うつ + そう with gemination. The variant 欝 is a simplified form of 鬱.