暗

àn
HSK 4
#827 most
frequent character
dark, gloomy, hidden, secret
adjective

Character breakdown

Source: Make Me a Hanzi.

暗 joins 日, sun or light, with 音 yīn, which supplies the sound. It first meant dark, with no light. The meaning grew to dim or gloomy, and then to hidden or secret.

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Example Sentences

这个房间很暗。
zhègè fángjiān hěnàn 。
This room is very dark.
他在暗地方藏着他的秘密。
tāzài àn dìfāng cángzháo tāde mìmì 。
He is hiding his secret in a dark place.
晚上天特别暗，你要小心。
wǎnshàng tiān tèbié àn ， nǐyào xiǎoxīn 。
It is particularly dark at night, you need to be careful.

Words with similar meanings

黑暗hēiàn
darkness
More commonly used to describe a lack of light or a metaphorical sense of despair.
阴暗yīnàn
gloomy
Describes a darker or more atmospheric context, often used for places that are shaded or hard to see.

Homophones

按àn
press, push, check, restrain
案àn
(legal) case, incident, record

Words Starting With 暗

暗示àn shì
to hint; to suggest; suggestion; a hint

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Public Lists with 暗

Weather & Climate
Describing temperature, precipitation, seasons, forecasts, and related terms.
Feelings & Emotions
Vocabulary for happiness, sadness, anger, fear, love, excitement, etc.
Common Adjectives
Descriptive words for size, quality, temperature, mood, and more.
HSK 4
All words for the HSK 4 test