The Meaning of kumori [曇り] In Japanese

曇り
くもり
Romaji: kumori N5

What does 曇り mean?

Translation and Meaning

cloudiness, cloudy weather, haze, obscurity

Definition

曇り means the state of being obscured by clouds, primarily used to describe weather, and it can also denote a figurative lack of clarity.

Type

Noun (名詞)

Stroke Order

Meanings

  • overcast weather, describing the sky when clouds cover the sun
  • haze or fog that reduces visibility
  • metaphorical obscurity, ambiguity, or lack of clarity in thinking or expression
  • 曇りがち describes a tendency toward cloudier weather

Composition

  • 曇: cloud, haze, obscurity
  • り: noun-forming suffix turning the verb 曇る into the noun 曇り, representing the state of being cloudy

Usage

Used as a noun to denote weather conditions; common in meteorology, journalism, and everyday speech. In formal writing, 曇り is used; in casual speech, 曇りです is common; compounds include 曇天 and 曇り空.
💡 Tips
Mnemonic: imagine the sun trying to peek through veiling clouds to recall kumori; associate kumori with the soft, diffused light you see when the sky is veiled.

Variations

  • 曇天 donten — overcast sky
  • 曇りがち kumori gachi — tendency toward cloudiness
  • 曇りの空 kumori no sora — cloudy sky
  • 霧 kiri — fog
  • 霞 kasumi — haze

Example Phrases

  • 今日は曇りで、洗濯物が乾かず、困った。
    Kyou wa kumori de, sentakumono ga kawakazu, komatta.
    It’s cloudy today, and the laundry won’t dry, which is a problem.
    Lista:
    • 今日は (kyou wa) – today
    • 曇り (kumori) – cloudiness / overcast
    • で (de) – (state marker)
    • 洗濯物 (sentakumono) – laundry
    • が (ga) – subject marker
    • 乾かず (kawakazu) – won’t dry
    • 困った (komatta) – I am troubled
    In this sentence, 「曇り」 is used as a noun describing the weather state, with で linking to the rest of the clause to mean it is cloudy today.
曇り