1.
to become misty; to become hazy
for the atmosphere or view to become unclear due to mist, haze, or distant weather conditions
山が翳んで見える。
The mountains look hazy.
春は遠くの景色が翳んでいることが多い。
In spring, distant scenery is often hazy.
黄砂で空が翳み、視界が悪くなった。
The sky became hazy from yellow dust, reducing visibility.
2.
to become dim; to become blurry
for one's vision to become unclear, often due to tears, tiredness, or aging
涙で目が翳む。
My eyes are blurred with tears.
疲れて目が翳んできた。
My eyes have become blurry from fatigue.
年を取ると目が翳みやすくなる。
As you get older, your eyes tend to become dim more easily.
3.
to be overshadowed; to pale in comparison
for something to become less noticeable or impressive when compared to something else
彼の活躍の前では他の選手が翳んで見える。
The other players pale in comparison to his performance.
あの大作の前では、私の作品など翳んでしまう。
My work is completely overshadowed by that masterpiece.
スターの登場で周りの人たちが翳んでしまった。
Everyone around faded into the background when the star appeared.
翳む describes something becoming unclear or less visible, whether physically (mist, vision) or figuratively (being overshadowed).
KANJI NOTE:
- The kanji 翳 is relatively uncommon and often written in hiragana as かすむ
- Related to 霞 (haze, mist)
USAGE PATTERNS:
- 目が翳む (eyes become blurry)
- 景色が翳む (scenery becomes hazy)
- 〜の前で翳む (to pale in comparison to ~)
VERB TYPE: Intransitive (自動詞)
CONJUGATION: godan verb ending in む
SEASONAL ASSOCIATION:
- 春がすみ (spring haze) is a seasonal word (季語) in haiku
- Associated with the soft, hazy atmosphere of spring in Japan
RELATED TERMS:
- 霞 (haze, mist - noun)
- 霞む (to be hazy - alternate spelling)
- ぼやける (to become blurred)
- 曇る (to become cloudy)