Meaning
dark; gloomy; hidden; secret; to shut the door; unilluminated
Chinese: 黑色、黑暗。
Hear the Four Tones
The same syllable “an” becomes a different word in each tone. 暗 is the 4th tone. Tap any tone to hear a native voice and see its pitch shape.
Stroke Order
Tap Animate to watch the strokes in order, or Practice to trace it yourself.
Common Words
- 黑暗hēi àndark; darkly; darkness
- 暗示àn shìto hint; to suggest; hint; suggestion
- 暗中àn zhōngin the dark; in secret; on the sly; surreptitiously
- 暗杀àn shāto assassinate
- 阴暗yīn àndim; dark; overcast; darkness
Example Sentence
房间里光线很暗。Fáng jiān lǐ guāng xiàn hěn àn.The light in the room is very dim.
房间Fáng jiānroom里lǐinside光线guāng xiànlight ray很hěnvery暗àndark。
Go deeper
Where this character comes from
The sun radical 日 (meaning) plus 音 (yīn, sound): no sunlight getting through — ‘dark / dim / hidden’.
A way to remember it
Sun (日) blocked out — dark.
Easy to confuse with
- 音‘Sound’: the sound part of 暗, on its own.