How do you say "dark" in Japanese?

暗い

Kurai

Adjective Kanji

In Japanese, "dark" is 暗い (Kurai).

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Pronunciation

暗い is written using kanji. Romanised as Kurai, it sounds roughly like "koo-rah-ee" to an English ear.

Writing and usage

Kurai (暗い) is an i-adjective describing low light or dark mood. Kurai hito means a gloomy person, and its opposite is akarui (bright or cheerful).

Example sentence

この部屋はとても暗いです。

Kono heya wa totemo kurai desu.

This room is very dark.

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How to remember 暗い

Kurai sounds like the word is being swallowed by darkness. The sound itself feels dim and muted.

Related words

Browse all Japanese words in the glossary.

See more Japanese adjectives.

Questions about 暗い

How do you pronounce 暗い?

暗い is romanised as Kurai. Say it roughly like "koo-rah-ee" in English. Each Japanese syllable has even weight, so keep the rhythm steady.

Is 暗い formal or casual?

暗い is a neutral, everyday word that works in both casual and polite speech. The level of formality comes from the sentence structure around it, not from the word itself.

How is 暗い written in Japanese?

暗い is written using kanji. Kurai (暗い) is an i-adjective describing low light or dark mood.

Where can I practice Japanese words for free?

You can play free Japanese minigames in your browser on the Noun Town online games page, with no sign-up needed. Every word in the Japanese glossary also has native audio and an example sentence you can revisit any time.

"Dark" in other languages

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