真(ま)っ黒(くろ)

まっくろ
na-adjective, noun
pitch black; jet black
colordescriptive
1. pitch black; jet black
Completely black without any other color; extremely dark.
真(ま)っ黒(くろ)な髪(かみ)だ。
It's jet-black hair.
空(そら)が真(ま)っ黒(くろ)な雲(くも)に覆(おお)われた。
The sky was covered with pitch-black clouds.
焦(こ)がしてしまって、鍋(なべ)の底(そこ)が真(ま)っ黒(くろ)になった。
I burned it, and the bottom of the pot turned pitch black.
2. very tanned; sunburned
Having darkened significantly from sun exposure.
日焼(ひや)けで真(ま)っ黒(くろ)だ。
I'm really tanned from the sun.
夏休(なつやす)みで真(ま)っ黒(くろ)に日焼(ひや)けした。
I got really tanned over summer vacation.
海(うみ)で遊(あそ)びすぎて、子供(こども)たちは真(ま)っ黒(くろ)に焼(や)けて帰(かえ)ってきた。
The children played too much at the beach and came home deeply tanned.
3. totally guilty; clearly corrupt
Colloquial: obviously guilty or corrupt (opposite of 'innocent').
あいつは真(ま)っ黒(くろ)だ。
That guy is totally guilty.
あの政治家(せいじか)は真(ま)っ黒(くろ)だと言(い)われている。
That politician is said to be totally corrupt.
証拠(しょうこ)が次々(つぎつぎ)と出(で)てきて、容疑者(ようぎしゃ)は真(ま)っ黒(くろ)だとわかった。
As evidence kept coming out one after another, it became clear the suspect was totally guilty.

Etymology

真(ま)っ (emphatic prefix) + 黒(くろ) (black)

Common expressions

Colloquial usage

In colloquial Japanese, 真(ま)っ黒(くろ) (innocent: 白(しろ)) is used to describe someone clearly guilty or corrupt, like the English "guilty as sin."

Related words

Related Words

Antonym: 真(ま)っ白(しろ) (pure white)
Related: 真(ま)っ暗(くら) (pitch dark)
Compare: 真(ま)っ赤(か) (bright red, deep red)
Compare: 漆黒(しっこく) (jet black)
general
Added 2026.1.20 21:57 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:01
07500/07614_makkuro