Nihongo

Kanji Detail of 曇

曇

Level:N2 Mid
Strokes:16
Stroke Order
Related Words
AI Explanation
Basic Meaning

The kanji 曇 means "cloudy," "overcast," or "to become cloudy." It directly relates to the presence of clouds obscuring the sun and making the sky appear less bright. It signifies a lack of clear visibility or a gloomy atmosphere.

Readings

・On-yomi (音読み): ドン (don) ・Kun-yomi (訓読み): 曇(くも) (kumo)

Usage Examples

⚫︎ 曇(くも)り空(ぞら) Translation: Cloudy sky ⚫︎ 曇(くも)ったメガネ Translation: Foggy glasses (lit. "clouded glasses") ⚫︎ 今日は曇(くも)っていますね。 Translation: It's cloudy today, isn't it?

Origin and Formation

The kanji 曇 is a 形声文字 (keisei moji), which means "phonetic-semantic compound character." The left side, 日 (hi), is the radical and means "sun" or "day." The right side, 雲 (kumo), means "cloud." Therefore, the formation of 曇 combined the meaning of "sun" and "cloud," symbolizing the sun being obscured by clouds, hence "cloudy."

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