暗い（くらい、kurai）
- dark

The Japanese word 暗い (kurai) primarily means "dark," "gloomy," or "dim." It describes a lack of light or a state of reduced visibility. It can also figuratively describe a person's mood or a situation's atmosphere. The meaning extends to include negative connotations like sadness or despair.暗い can also be used to express an obscure or unknown aspect of something.

⚫︎ 部屋は暗くて、何も見えなかった。 Translation: The room was dark, and I couldn't see anything. ⚫︎ 彼女は暗い顔をしていた。 Translation: She had a gloomy face. ⚫︎ 将来について暗い気持ちになる。 Translation: I feel pessimistic about the future.

⚫︎ Use 暗い to describe physical darkness, like in a room without lights. ⚫︎ Use it to describe the lack of light in the sky, such as at night or on a cloudy day. ⚫︎ Use it metaphorically to describe a gloomy or sad mood, or a pessimistic outlook. ⚫︎ It can also describe a lack of clarity or a hidden aspect of a topic or situation.

⚫︎ The word is typically written as 暗い using kanji. ⚫︎ The hiragana reading is くらい. ⚫︎ There are no significant variations in okurigana.

⚫︎ 薄暗い (usugurai) - dimly lit, dusky ⚫︎ 陰気な (inki na) - gloomy, melancholic ⚫︎ 寂しい (sabishii) - lonely, sad (can sometimes overlap in meaning)

⚫︎ 明るい (akarui) - bright, cheerful ⚫︎ 晴れやか (hareyaka) - clear, bright, cheerful

夜になると、道が暗くなります。 ・Translation: The roads become dark at night. ・Explanation: This sentence uses 暗い to describe the physical state of the road when it's dark.

彼の話は暗くて、あまり面白くなかった。 ・Translation: His story was gloomy and not very interesting. ・Explanation: Here, 暗い is used metaphorically to describe a story's atmosphere or tone.

The kanji 暗 (an) itself means "dark" or "obscure." The adjective 暗い evolved from this kanji.