ChiramiN4 kanji · 13 strokes
暗 means dark
暗
日 sun · 音 sound
暗Memory trick
When the sun (日) is gone, all you have are sounds (音): dark.
Memory trick: a picture to help you remember the kanji, not its history.
Meaning and readings
- Meanings
- darkness, disappear, shade, informal
- JLPT level
- N4
- Strokes
- 13
- School grade
- Grade 3 in Japan
Japanese (kunyomi) くらい kurai
くらい (kurai) is the Japanese word for this kanji. You use it when the kanji stands alone or has kana after it. Dictionaries call this the kun reading.
Other Japanese readings: くらむ kuramu, くれる kureru
From Chinese (onyomi) アン an
アン (an) came from Chinese with the character. You mostly hear it in words made of several kanji. Dictionaries call this the on reading.
Tap a reading to see when it's used. Why kanji have two kinds of reading: onyomi vs kunyomi.
Common word
暗い くらい · kurai
dark, gloomy
Built from
- 日 sun, day
- 音 sound
- 立 stand up
Tap a part to see the N5 and N4 kanji that use it.
音 Used in 16 kanji
立 Used in 66 kanji
See all 7 at N5 and N4Quick check
What does 暗 mean?
Right: 暗 means dark.Not quite: 暗 means dark.In 暗い, which reading does 暗 use?
Right. 暗い is read くらい (kurai): 暗 takes くら, its Japanese reading, with い after it.Not quite. 暗い is read くらい (kurai): 暗 takes くら, its Japanese reading, with い after it.