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Kanji Detail for 陰 - "shadow, dark"

陰

  • Meaning

    陰 means "shadow, dark." Also associated with to cloud.

    1. Shadow - A place where sunlight doesn't reach; darkness.

    2. Dark - Dim; gloomy.

    3. To cloud - To become overcast; to darken.

    4. North side - The north side of a mountain; south side of a river.

    5. Secret - Hidden in shadow.

    6. Secretly - Stealthily; covertly.

    7. To cover - To hide; to conceal.

    8. Negative - Passive; static.

    9. Mourning hut - A shelter for observing mourning.

  • Words using 陰

    • 陰謀 いんぼう Listen plot; intrigue; scheme
    • 陰り かげり Listen shadow (e.g. on someone's happiness); cloud; shade
    • 日陰 ひかげ Listen shade; shadow; sunshine
    • 山陰 やまかげ Listen place in the shade of a mountain; shelter of the mountains; mountain recess
    • 陰口 かげぐち Listen malicious gossip; backbiting; speaking ill behind someone's back
    • 陰気 いんき Listen gloomy; dismal; miserable
    • 物陰 ものかげ Listen place hidden from view; cover; shelter
    • お陰様で おかげさまで Listen thankfully; fortunately; luckily

  • Four-character idioms with 陰

    • 五陰盛苦 ごおんじょうく Listen pain caused by the five skandhas
    • 陰陽五行 いんようごぎょう Listen the cosmic dual forces (yin and yang) and the five elements (metal, wood, water, fire and earth) in Chinese cosmology

  • Tattoo check: 陰

    • Verified meaning: shadow, dark
    • Official Jōyō kanji — a standard character every Japanese reader recognises
    • Used in real Japanese given names (read かげ)
    • Also carries these associations: to cloud

    A single kanji rarely maps one-to-one onto an English word. Read the meanings and associations above as a set — a character that fits the dictionary definition can still carry a connotation you did not intend.

  • Name readings of 陰

    Surnames 陰(かげ)Listen

  • Compare with other kanji that mean the same thing:

  • Dictionary Citations

    The meaning above is based on the following sources:

    KANJIDIC2 A comprehensive Japanese-English kanji dictionary

    shade; yin; negative; sex organs; secret; shadow

    Unihan Unicode Han Database for CJK characters

    the passive, female principle in Chinese philosophy (yin); dark; secret

    CC-CEDICT A Chinese-English dictionary

    surname Yin

    Make Me a Hanzi Open-source Chinese character data

    the female principle; dark, shaded; hidden, implicit, secret

    XSZD Xuéshēng Zìdiǎn (學生字典) - Student's Dictionary

    The opposite of 陽. In ancient times, all opposing things were often designated with the characters 陰 and 陽. Such as heaven and earth, sun and moon, cold and heat, day and night, male and female, inner and outer, hard and soft, motion and stillness, and the like. All are such. What is called 陽 in one context is called 陰 in another. Because they mutually wax and wane, they were sometimes used to divine fortune and misfortune. Before Han, all who spoke of divination and prognostication were called 陰陽家 (Yin-Yang specialists). | The opposite of clear weather. As in 陰雨 (overcast and rainy). | The north side of a mountain is called 陰. As in 山陰, 華陰. | The south side of a river is called 陰. As in 江陰, 淮陰. | A shadow is called 陰. Tao Kan of Jin once said: "The Great Yu treasured every inch of time. We should treasure every fraction of time." Found in his biography. | Any place not exposed to sunlight is called 陰. As in 牆陰 (wall shadow), 花陰 (flower shade). | The back side is called 陰. As in the back of a stele is called 碑陰. | Secret. Anything kept secret from others is called 陰. As in 陰謀 (conspiracy), 陰德 (hidden virtue). | Referring to the netherworld as 陰. As in punishment from the netherworld is called 陰譴. A grave is called 陰宅.

  • Onyomi

    tip

    in(イン) イン

  • Kunyomi

    tip

    kage(かげ) かげ

    kage.ru(かげ-る) かげ-る

  • Strokes

    tip

    11 strokes

  • Radical

    tip

    阜 阝 (kozato・kozatohen・oka)

  • Related Keywords

    shadow dark to cloud cloudy gloomy dim negative north side secret shade yin cover hide passive concealed covert hidden mysterious obscure obscurity overcast feminine mist secretive

Sentences including 陰

  • You must not speak ill of others behind their backs.

  • You make life worth living.

  • Let's take a rest in the shade.

  • Keep in the shade.

  • Don't speak ill of others behind their back.

  • An old man was at rest under the tree.

  • I see an old woman under the tree.

  • Don't speak ill of others behind their back.

  • You should not speak of others behind their backs.

  • We had a rest in the shade.

Sentences from Japanese classical masterpieces

More kanji with the radical 阜 阝 (kozato・kozatohen・oka)

See all kanji with this radical →

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