Japanese symbol for “dim”
薄暗い
うすぐらい
Romaji: usugurai
dim; gloomy
In Japanese, dim is 薄暗い, read うすぐらい (usugurai).
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-i dim; gloomy
Written forms: 薄暗い、うす暗い、薄ぐらい. Readings: うすぐらい.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “dim”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 朦朧 | もうろう mourou | dim; hazy; vague |
| 薄 | うす usu | light (e.g color, fabric); faint; pale |
| 微か | かすか kasuka | faint; dim; weak |
| 彷彿 | ほうふつ houfutsu | dim; faint; vague |
| 不明瞭 | ふめいりょう fumeiryou | unclear; indistinct; obscure |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 薄い | うすい usui | thin (of an object) |
| 希薄 | きはく kihaku | thin (air); weak (liquid); dilute |
| 軽薄 | けいはく keihaku | frivolous; flippant; superficial |
| 薄着 | うすぎ usugi | being lightly dressed |
| 品薄 | しなうす shinausu | shortage of stock; scarcity of goods; being in short supply |
| 暗殺 | あんさつ ansatsu | assassination |
| 真っ暗 | まっくら makkura | pitch-dark; pitch-black; completely dark |
| 暗号 | あんごう angou | code; password; cipher |
See also: Chinese symbol for “dim”.
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.