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One of the best Japanese Kanji dictionary.
The kanji most commonly used for "Dark" are 暗、昧、冥.
暗
dark, ignorant
Also associated with to memorize.
Onyomi: an Kunyomi: ku.reru, kura.i, kura.mu 13 strokes Jōyō
dark, obscure
Also associated with ignorant.
Onyomi: bai, mai Kunyomi: kura.i, musaboru 9 strokes Jōyō
dark
Also associated with the afterlife, divine power.
Onyomi: mei, myoh Kunyomi: kura.i 10 strokes Jōyō
dim, ambiguous, obscure
Onyomi: ai Kunyomi: kura.i 17 strokes Jōyō
thick, dense, rich
Onyomi: noh Kunyomi: koi 16 strokes Jōyō
dark, darkness, ignorant
Onyomi: an, on Kunyomi: kura.i, yami 17 strokes Jōyō
shadow, dark
Also associated with to cloud.
Onyomi: in Kunyomi: kage, kage.ru 11 strokes Jōyō
dim, secluded, quiet
Onyomi: yuu Kunyomi: fuka.i, kasuka, kura.i, shiro.i 9 strokes Jōyō
暗 is darkness as the absence of light, and it is the ordinary word: 暗い (dark), 暗闇 (darkness), 明暗 (light and shade). It also means unseen or done without looking, which is how it gives 暗記 (memorizing by heart) and 暗号 (a code).
闇 is darkness as a thing rather than a condition — the dark itself. 闇夜 is a moonless night, and by extension 闇 means the illicit, as in 闇市, a black market. 陰 is shade, the dark side of something: 日陰 (the shade), 陰気 (gloomy), and the yin of 陰陽.
冥 is the darkness of the world after death, and lives in 冥福, the repose of the dead, rather than in any everyday sense of dark.
昧 and 曖 are between them confined to one word, 曖昧 (ambiguous, vague) — dark in the sense of unclear. 濃 and 褐 are darkness of color only: 濃い is deep or strong, 褐色 is brown.
闇 is the character with real weight — it reads as the dark itself, but it also carries the black-market and underworld sense, which may not be what you want. 暗 reads as unlit, and of people as gloomy. 濃 and 褐 only mean deep-colored and brown.
What is Onyomi?
Onyomi, also known as the "Sino-Japanese reading," is one of the two main reading systems for kanji characters in Japanese. It refers to the reading of a kanji character that is derived from the original Chinese pronunciation.
What is Kunyomi?
Kunyomi, also known as the "native Japanese reading," is one of the two main reading systems for kanji characters in Japanese. It refers to the reading of a kanji character that is based on the native Japanese pronunciation. Kunyomi readings are often used when a kanji character stands alone or is followed by hiragana, as in verbs and adjectives. Mastering both kunyomi and onyomi is crucial for understanding and using kanji effectively in the Japanese language.
What is Radical?
A radical, also known as "bushu" in Japanese, is a fundamental component of kanji characters. Radicals are the building blocks of kanji and are used to categorize and organize them in dictionaries. There are 214 traditional radicals, each with its own meaning, which often provides a clue to the meaning of the kanji character it forms.
What is strokes?
Stroke count, or "kakusuu" in Japanese, refers to the number of individual brushstrokes required to write a kanji character. Each kanji has a specific stroke order and stroke count, which are essential for writing the character correctly and legibly. Understanding and following the correct stroke order not only ensures proper balance and aesthetics but also makes writing more efficient and fluid.