黒くろ幕まく

く

ろ

ま

く

Common wordFreq.FrequencyTop 20,000

Meanings

black curtain

Literal meaning: a black curtain used in theater or as a backdrop. Less common in everyday speech than the figurative sense.

舞ぶ台たいの黒くろ幕まくが静しずかに上あがった。
The black curtain on the stage rose quietly.

noun

wirepuller; mastermind; éminence grise

Figurative use: a person who controls events from behind the scenes, often in politics, business, or crime. Carries a slightly negative or conspiratorial tone.

事じ件けんの黒くろ幕まくはまだ捕つかまっていない。
The mastermind behind the incident has not been caught yet.
彼かれは政せい界かいの黒くろ幕まくとして知しられている。
He is known as a power broker in political circles.

See all 11 example sentences ›

Usage patterns

〈事じ件けん〉の黒くろ幕まくthe mastermind behind an incident
その事じ件けんの黒くろ幕まくはまだ捕つかまっていない。
The mastermind behind the incident has not yet been caught.
黒くろ幕まくになるto become the person pulling the strings
彼かれは会かい社しゃの黒くろ幕まくになった。
He became the mastermind controlling the company from behind the scenes.
黒くろ幕まくをあばくto expose the person secretly pulling the strings
記き者しゃは事じ件けんの黒くろ幕まくをあばこうとした。
The reporter tried to expose the mastermind behind the incident.

Kanji

黒black
幕curtain, bunting, act of play

Related words· 6

首しゅ謀ぼう者しゃ sense 2
首謀者 refers to the identified ringleader of a crime or plot, while 黒幕 stresses a hidden figure who manipulates events from the shadows.
フィクサー sense 2
フィクサー is a loanword for a behind-the-scenes fixer in business or politics, whereas 黒幕 carries a stronger, more sinister connotation of secret control.
張ちょう本ほん人にんN1
黒幕 emphasizes someone secretly pulling the strings behind the scenes, whereas 張本人 simply identifies who is ultimately responsible, whether hidden or not.
首しゅ謀ぼう
黒幕 evokes a hidden power broker pulling strings from the shadows, whereas 首謀 is the neutral, formal term for whoever planned or led a scheme, hidden or not.

Show 2 more

元げん凶きょう
黒幕 emphasizes someone secretly pulling the strings behind the scenes, whereas 元凶 just labels who or what is primarily to blame, hidden or not.
火ひ付つけ役やく
黒幕 implies a hidden mastermind pulling strings from behind the scenes, while 火付け役 is usually visible and simply the one who sets things in motion.

Opposites

手て先さき
黒幕 is the hidden mastermind pulling the strings, the opposite role to 手先, the underling who carries out the orders.

Don't confuse with

ほくろN1sense 2
黒子 is a stagehand dressed in black who works visibly (if unobtrusively) on stage, while 黒幕 is a person who secretly controls events without appearing at all.

Counted with

張ちょう
Extended Net constellation · counter for bows, stringed instruments, curtains, sheets of paper, etc.

Built from

黒くろ+幕まく

Etymology

Compound of 黒 (black) and 幕 (curtain). Originally referred to a literal black curtain used in theater, then extended metaphorically to a person who pulls strings from behind the scenes, like a hidden stagehand.