Japanese symbol for “darkness”
闇
やみ
Romaji: yami
darkness; the dark
In Japanese, darkness is 闇, read やみ (yami).
Before using these characters for a tattoo, check them with a native speaker. Dictionary words often have several meanings, and the right choice depends on context.
Meanings
- adj-no, n darkness; the dark
- n bewilderment; despair; hopelessness
- n hidden place; secrecy; oblivion
- adj-no, n black market; shady trading; underhand transactions; illegal channels
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “darkness”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 暗黒 | あんこく ankoku | darkness |
| 暗闇 | くらやみ kurayami | darkness; the dark |
| 暗 | あん an | darkness |
| 暗がり | くらがり kuragari | darkness |
| 陰 | かげ kage | gloom (in someone's expression, nature, etc.); darkness |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 暗闇 | くらやみ kurayami | darkness; the dark |
| 闇夜 | やみよ yamiyo | dark night; moonless night |
| 闇市 | やみいち yamiichi | black market |
| 無闇 | むやみ muyami | thoughtless; reckless; rash |
| 闇雲 | やみくも yamikumo | reckless; (at) random; haphazard |
| 夕闇 | ゆうやみ yuuyami | dusk; twilight |
See also: Chinese symbol for “darkness”.
Data: JMdict (CC BY-SA 4.0); KANJIDIC2 (CC BY-SA 4.0); KanjiVG (CC BY-SA 3.0); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.