Japanese symbol for “dimly”
呆んやり
ぼんやり
Romaji: bon'yari
dimly; faintly; indistinctly; vaguely
In Japanese, dimly is 呆んやり, read ぼんやり (bon'yari).
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
- adv, adv-to, vs dimly; faintly; indistinctly; vaguely
- adv, adv-to, vs absentmindedly; vacantly; carelessly; in a spaced out manner
- adv, adv-to, vs idly; aimlessly
- n absentmindedness
- n absentminded person; fool; dunce
Written forms: 呆んやり. Readings: ぼんやり、ボンヤリ.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “dimly”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 仄 | ほの hono | faintly; dimly; slightly |
| ぼーっと | ぼーっと bootto | dimly; hazily; faintly |
| 仄々 | ほのぼの honobono | dimly; faintly; with a faint light |
| ぼっと | ぼっと botto | dimly; hazily; faintly |
| 薄ら | うっすら ussura | slightly; lightly; thinly |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 痴呆 | ちほう chihou | dementia |
| 阿呆 | あほ aho | fool; idiot; simpleton |
| 呆れる | あきれる akireru | to be amazed; to be shocked; to be astonished |
| 呆然 | ぼうぜん bouzen | dumbfounded; overcome with surprise; in blank amazement |
| 呆気 | あっけ akke | being taken aback; state of shock; dumbfoundedness |
See also: Chinese symbol for “dimly”.
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.