Details
Stroke Order
Cultural Context
Etymology
Composed of sun and not yet. Sun not yet bright.
Symbolism
Ambiguous, absorption, unclear. Represents vagueness.
Related Culture & Scenes
- — Illuminating the darkness
Component Breakdown
sun + 未
Words & Expressions
Words written with 昧
Four-Character Compounds
無知蒙昧
むちもうまい
unenlightened; uneducated; ignorant
曖昧模糊
あいまいもこ
obscure; vague; ambiguous
読書三昧
どくしょざんまい
being absorbed in reading
贅沢三昧
ぜいたくざんまい
indulging in every possible luxury
念仏三昧
ねんぶつざんまい
being deep in prayer; praying devoutly to Amida Buddha
風流三昧
ふうりゅうざんまい
taking delight in elegant pursuits; being absorbed in such elegant cultural pursuits as poetry, painting and calligraphy
放蕩三昧
ほうとうざんまい
being absorbed in self-indulgent pleasures; giving oneself up to debauchery and dissipation
戯作三昧
げさくざんまい
being absorbed in writing popular novels (cheap fiction); being absorbed in writing something to amuse oneself
無知愚昧
むちぐまい
unenlightened; in the darkest ignorance; not knowing from A to B
一行三昧
いちぎょうざんまい
complete concentration on one subject (usu. prayer); one-practice absorption
Other kanji with the same meaning
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 昧 mean in Japanese?
昧 means dark, foolish.
How do you read 昧?
On'yomi: マイ、バイ (MAI, BAI). Kun'yomi: くら.い、むさぼ.る (kurai, musaboru).
How many strokes does 昧 have?
昧 has 9 strokes. Its radical is 日 (sun).
Is 昧 a good kanji for a tattoo?
昧 is one of the kanji most often chosen for tattoos. It means dark, foolish. Read the full meaning and cultural background on this page first — some popular choices are deliberately dark.