真(ま)っ暗(くら)

まっくら
na-adjective, noun
pitch dark; total darkness; hopeless
1. pitch dark; total darkness
Complete absence of light; extremely dark.
停電(ていでん)で部屋(へや)が真(ま)っ暗(くら)になった。
The room went pitch dark due to the power outage.
真(ま)っ暗(くら)な夜道(よみち)を一人(ひとり)で歩(ある)くのは怖(こわ)い。
It's scary to walk alone on a pitch-dark road at night.
2. hopeless; bleak
Figuratively, a situation with no hope or prospect of improvement.
将来(しょうらい)が真(ま)っ暗(くら)に見(み)える。
The future looks bleak.

WORD STRUCTURE:
真(ま)っ (emphatic prefix) + 暗(くら)い (dark) → 暗(くら)

COMMON EXPRESSIONS:

  • 先行(さきゆ)きが真(ま)っ暗(くら) - the outlook is bleak
  • 真(ま)っ暗(くら)闇(やみ) - complete darkness
  • 目(め)の前(まえ)が真(ま)っ暗(くら)になる - to black out; to despair

FIGURATIVE USAGE:
When used figuratively, 真(ま)っ暗(くら) describes a hopeless situation where one cannot see any positive future.

RELATED:

  • 真(ま)っ黒(くろ) - pitch black (color)
  • 暗闇(くらやみ) - darkness
  • お先(さき)真(ま)っ暗(くら) - bleak future (expression)

Related Words

Related: 真(ま)っ黒(くろ) (pitch black)
general
Added 2026.1.20 21:57 · Revised 2026.1.24 23:24
07500/07616_makkura