黑 hēi — black; dark
天黑了，街上的灯都亮了。Tiān hēi le, jiē shàng de dēng dōu liàng le.It got dark, and the street lights all came on.
Common words: 黑色 (hēi sè)、黑板 (hēi bǎn)、黑暗 (hēi àn)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "dark"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "dark", including 黑 (hēi), 暗 (àn), 昧 (mèi). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "dark" covers 3 different Chinese characters — 黑 (hēi), 暗 (àn), 昧 (mèi) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 3 characters do not share a sound — their readings span hēi, àn, mèi — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 黑 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 黑 hēiblack; darkUseful words: 黑色, 黑板
- 暗 àndark; gloomy; hidden; secret; to shut the door; unilluminatedUseful words: 黑暗, 暗示
- 昧 mèiconceal; darkUseful words: 暧昧, 愚昧
Common words for these 3 "dark" characters
Anchor each of these 3 characters in a word you can picture — start with 黑 (hēi) — so "dark" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
黑色hēi sèblack黑板hēi bǎnblackboard黑暗hēi àndark; darkly; darkness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暧昧ài mèivague; ambiguous; equivocal; dubious愚昧yú mèiignorant; uneducated; ignorance冒昧mào mèibold; presumptuous; to take the liberty of
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 3 ways to say "dark".
暗 àn — dark; gloomy; hidden; secret; to shut the door; unilluminated
房间里光线很暗。Fáng jiān lǐ guāng xiàn hěn àn.The light in the room is very dim.
Common words: 黑暗 (hēi àn)、暗示 (àn shì)、暗中 (àn zhōng)
昧 mèi — conceal; dark
做人要讲良心，不能昧着良心说话。Zuò rén yào jiǎng liáng xīn, bù néng mèi zhe liáng xīn shuō huà.One should have a conscience and not speak against it.
Common words: 暧昧 (ài mèi)、愚昧 (yú mèi)、冒昧 (mào mèi)
All 3 characters
Open 黑、暗、昧 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.