Chinese character for dark: 暗 (àn)
The Chinese character for dark is 暗 (àn). It means dark, dim or hidden, as in 黑暗 (hēi'àn, darkness) and 暗处 (ànchù, a dark place). It can also mean secret, as in 暗恋 (ànliàn, a secret crush).
How 暗 is built
暗 joins 日 (rì, sun) on the left with 音 (yīn, sound) on the right, which hints at the pronunciation. The sun radical shows the meaning is about light; as a memory aid, the sun has gone and only sound is left, as in the dark when you can hear but not see. It is the same in simplified and traditional Chinese.
暗 àn · dark
- 日rì — sun; day
- 口kǒu — mouth
- 冂 — frame
- 一 — horizontal stroke
- 一 — horizontal stroke
- 口kǒu — mouth
- 音yīn — sound
- 立lì — to stand
- 亠tóu — lid
- 丷ha — kwukyel
- 一 — horizontal stroke
- 日rì — sun; day
- 口kǒu — mouth
- 一 — horizontal stroke
- 立lì — to stand
Origin hint: 日 gives the meaning, 音 gives the sound. (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)
How 暗 is used
Other ways to say dark
- 黑暗 hēi'àn — darkness, the usual noun
- 黑 hēi — black, dark in color
Before you use it as a tattoo or design: 暗 alone suggests 'secret' as much as 'dark'; 黑暗 is clearer if you mean darkness.
Questions
What is the Chinese character for dark?
暗 (àn) means “dark”.
How do you pronounce 暗?
暗 is pronounced àn.