Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 黑暗 | hēi'àn | /xeɪ̯⁵⁵ ˀän⁵¹/ (Mandarin, Standard Chinese, Sinological IPA) /xi²⁴ næ̃⁴⁴/ (Mandarin, Dungan, Sinological IPA) |
|
| 暗 | àn | /ˀän⁵¹/ (Mandarin, Standard Chinese, Sinological IPA) /ɐm³³/ (Cantonese, Guangzhou, Sinological IPA, Standard Cantonese, Hong Kong) |
|
| 黲 / 黪 | cǎn | literary |
The term 'dark' describes a lack of light, either in an absolute or relative sense. While 黑暗 is the most general and straightforward term for darkness in Mandarin Chinese, it can also be used as a noun to mean a complete or partial absence of light or metaphorically to mean ignorance. The single character 黑 refers specifically to the color black or a very dark shade.
Which one should you use?
The single character 暗 is typically used as an adjective to describe a state of being dim or having low light. In contrast, 黑暗 often implies a more profound or absolute darkness. While 黑暗 refers to the absence of light, the single character 黑 is used when referring to the color black.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
When using the single character 暗 as an adjective to describe a noun, it is often preceded by an adverb like 很 (hěn) to indicate degree, such as 很暗 (very dark).
How do you pronounce it?
hēi'àn (/xeɪ̯⁵⁵ ˀän⁵¹/)
Did you know?
- The word 黑暗 may be a corrupted version of the Malay word 'hitam', which means 'black'.
Examples in context
- 歷史是黑暗的。History is dark.This sentence uses 暗 to describe history.Tatoeba #6142315 by LeviHighway, translation #9408480 by BobbyLee
- 齊莉坐在暗處。Ziri sat in a dark place.This sentence uses 暗 to describe a place.Tatoeba #13109404 by LeviHighway, translation #10204478 by Amastan
- 他慢慢地适应了黑暗。He slowly got used to the dark.This sentence uses 暗 to refer to the dark.Tatoeba #7774772 by jiangche, translation #10605016 by sundown
- 房间很黑。The room is dark.
- 洞穴昏暗。The cave is dimly lit.
- 37 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Zihan and Zhiqiang are walking home at night.
- 梓涵 Zihan这里太黑暗了，我看不见路。Zhèlǐ tài hēiyàn le, wǒ kàn bù jiàn lù.It's too dark here, I can't see the road.
- 志强 Zhiqiang没关系，我这就打开手电筒。Méiguānxì, wǒ zhè jiù dǎkāi shǒudiàntǒng.It's okay, I'll turn on the flashlight right now.
- 梓涵 Zihan谢谢你，志强。Xièxiè nǐ, Zhìqiáng.Thank you, Zhiqiang.
- 志强 Zhiqiang不用客气，我们快走吧。Bùyòng kèqì, wǒmen kuài zǒu ba.You're welcome, let's go quickly.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “dark” translations and entries 黑暗, 暗, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 暗, 黑暗, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
