In today’s vocabulary lesson you will learn four ways to say “shadow” in Japanese. there are different Japanese words you use when talking about the shape of a person’s shadow, a shadow cast by sunlight and shading techniques > in art. Let’s start with “kage“, the most common word for “shadow” in Japanese.
kage (影, 陰) is the most commonly used Japanese word for “shadow”. when written as 陰 (kage) it refers to a dark part that is blocked from light and translates as “shadow” or “shade”. however, when written as 影 (kage) it refers to the image or shape of the shadow that is cast on a surface.
Reading: How to say shadow in japanese
Keep reading to learn the other Japanese words for “shadow“. I’ll tell you exactly when to use which word. after that, you will know a couple of related expressions, such as how to say “dark shadow“, “black shadow“ and “shadow of death”. ” in Japanese. Naruto fans will also know what the word “hokage” really means.
Contents
how to say “shadow” in Japanese
- kage – 影
- hikage – 日陰
- inei – 陰影
- shadoo – シャドー
1. kage – most common way of saying “shadow” in Japanese
The most common way to say “shadow” or “shadows” in Japanese is the word kage (影, 陰). in kanji, it can be written as 影 or 陰, and the exact meaning and translation of the word changes depending on which one you choose.
When written in kanji as 影, the word kage means “shadow“, “silhouette“, “figure“, or “shape“, but it can also be translated as “reflection” or “trace”. when you want to talk about your own shadow or someone else’s shadow cast on the ground, this is the word to use.
kage影shadowsilhouettefigure,shape
when written 陰, on the other hand, the word kage translates more as “shadow” than “shadow“ is used to refer to a darker part of a body, an object, or the ground that is blocked from view. light by another object.
kage陰 shadow of shadow
2. hikage – means “shadow” or “shadow (of the sun)”
hikage (日陰) means “shadow” or “shadow” in Japanese. you should use this word when you want to talk about the darkest, coldest area under or next to a tree and other objects where the sunlight doesn’t reach. It literally consists of the Japanese word and the kanji for sun and the kanji for shade or shade.
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hikage日陰shadeshadowliteral: sun shadow
3. inei – translates to “shadow” or “shaded”
another Japanese word for “shadow” is inei (陰影). often used to refer to shading techniques or shading in drawings. is a bit similar to the English expressions “light and shadow” or “(theory of) light and shadow” and the best word when you want to talk about drawings and its shading.
inei陰影shadingshadow
4. shadoo – English loanword meaning “shadow”
Especially in names and titles, you may see the word shadoo (シャドー) used to mean “shadow” in Japanese. is a borrowed word and is derived from the English word “shadow“. in everyday life, you’ll probably find it more often in Japanese anime as part of the name of a special attack or superpower.
shadowシャドーshadow
there are two common ways how you can write it in katakana: シャドー (shadoo) and シャドウ (shadou).
shadouシャドウshadow(alternative form)
how to say “dark shadow” in Japanese
kurai kage (暗い影) means “dark shadow” in Japanese. the first word kurai (暗い) is an i adjective meaning “dark“, “gloomy” or “hopeless / strong>“. Just like in English, you can put the adjective in front of a noun to say “dark (noun)” in Japanese.
kurai kage暗い影dark shadow
You can also say daaku shadoo (ダークシャドウ) instead of kurai kage (暗い影) if you want to sound a bit original or if you need something cool. Japanese name for a special attack. by the way, this is also the Japanese title of the movie “dark shadows” (source).
how to say “black shadow” in Japanese
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The expression or phrase “black shadow” is kuroi kage (黒い影) in Japanese. the Japanese word for black is kuroi (黒い) and since it’s an i adjective, it can be put before the Japanese word for shadow, which is kage (影) for say “black shadow“.
kuroi kage黒い影black shadow
since the word kuroi (黒い) can also mean dark, it could also be translated as “dark shadow“.
and could also use the imported word burakku (ブラック) instead of the native Japanese word for black.
burakku kageブラック影black shadow
burakku shadouブラックシャドウblack shadow
the Japanese word for “shadow of death”
shisou (死相) is the Japanese word for “shadow of death“. consists of the word for death, which is shi (死), and the word sou (相), which can be translated as “ appearance” or “appearance“. unlike the English expression, it does not include the Japanese word for shadow, which would be kage (影).
shisou死相shadow of deathgaze of death
what does “hokage” mean? (naruto anime)
The word hokage (火影) literally translates as “fire shadow“, but is used in the anime naruto to refer to leader of the hidden leaf village, who is called “(the) hokage“. it also means “firelight” and is used to refer to the shadows or forms that the light of a fire causes in a fireplace.
hokage火影literal meaning: shadow of fire(the) hokage (leader of the hidden leaf village, naruto)light of fire, shadows or form caused by the light of a fire
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