Kanji N1

闇: get dark, gloom, disorder

闇 is a JLPT N1 kanji meaning get dark, gloom, disorder, written with 17 strokes. It is read アン, オン (on) and やみ, くらい (kun). It is one of the jōyō kanji taught in secondary school. You will see it in 闇 (やみ, darkness) and 無闇に (むやみに, thoughtlessly).

闇

Meanings

  • get dark
  • gloom
  • disorder
Strokes17
JLPT levelN1
School gradeSecondary school
Frequency#1969 of 2,500

On reading · Kun reading

On reading
  • アン
  • オン

On'yomi: from Chinese, written in katakana. Used in compound words.

Kun reading
  • やみ
  • くらい

Kun'yomi: native Japanese, in hiragana. The faint part is the okurigana, written in kana after the kanji.

Watch the stroke order

Every stroke in order, the live one in vermilion. Replay as often as you like.

1234567891011121314151617

Now draw it

Trace each stroke in order. Wrong direction or wrong order gets flagged right away.

12345678910111213141516170 / 17

Your turn: draw stroke 1 of 17. Start at the dot.

Common words with 闇

The most useful words written with it, easiest first. Every other kanji in them opens its own page.

  • 闇やみ

    darkness; the dark

    JLPT N1
  • 無闇にむやみに

    thoughtlessly; recklessly; rashly

    JLPT N1
  • 暗闇くらやみ

    darkness; the dark

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Stroke order from KanjiVG © Ulrich Apel, CC BY-SA 3.0. Readings, meanings and words from KANJIDIC2 and JMdict, names from JMnedict, © EDRDG, CC BY-SA 4.0, and Wikidata, CC0. JLPT lists after Jonathan Waller (tanos.co.uk), CC BY.