真っ暗

まっくら
Alternative writings: 真暗, まっ暗
JLPT:N2
Frequency:

1Pitch-dark or pitch-black — describing a place with absolutely no light, completely dark.

Na-AdjectiveNoun

Examples

停電で家の中が真っ暗になった。

A power outage plunged the house into pitch darkness.

夜道は街灯が少なくて真っ暗だ。

The road at night is pitch-black because there are so few streetlights.

カーテンを閉めたら部屋が真っ暗になった。

When I closed the curtains, the room went completely dark.

トンネルに入ると一瞬、目の前が真っ暗になった。

The moment we entered the tunnel, everything in front of me went pitch-black.

2Figuratively bleak or hopeless — describing a future or outlook with no hope in sight.

Na-AdjectiveNoun

Examples

会社の業績が悪く、この先は真っ暗だと噂されている。

The company's performance is poor, and rumor has it the future looks bleak.

借金が重なって生活は真っ暗になった。

With debts piling up, life became utterly hopeless.

Word Relationships

Antonym
Derivations