黒暗

Japanese

Alternative forms

• 黒闇

Etymology

From Middle Chinese 黑暗 (/xok ʔom/, “black darkness”). Compare modern Mandarin 黑暗 (hēi'àn).

Pronunciation

• On'yomi
• IPA: [ko̞kɯᵝã̠ɴ]

Noun

黒暗 (hiragana こくあん, romaji kokuan)

1. absolute darkness
2. (Buddhism) a complete lack of virtue or wisdom
3. (color) pure black

Compounds

• 黒暗暗 (こくあんあん, kokuan'an): (adjective) pure black