1.
jet black; pitch-black; inky black
The deepest, purest black imaginable, evoking the color of Japanese lacquer. A literary term used to describe hair, darkness, or the night sky.
漆黒の髪が印象的だった。
Her jet-black hair was striking.
漆黒の闇の中で、何も見えなかった。
In the pitch-black darkness, I couldn't see anything.
漆黒の夜空に無数の星がまたたき、息を飲むほど美しかった。
Countless stars twinkled in the jet-black night sky, so beautiful it took my breath away.
A literary word meaning the deepest, purest black — like the color of Japanese lacquer (漆). Combines 漆 (lacquer) and 黒 (black).
USAGE:
- Used almost exclusively as a modifier before a noun: 漆黒の + noun
- Common with 闇 (darkness), 髪 (hair), 夜空 (night sky), 瞳 (eyes)
- Has a literary, poetic feel — not typically used in everyday casual speech
- Often found in novels, poetry, and fantasy/game contexts
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 漆黒の闇: pitch-black darkness
- 漆黒の髪: jet-black hair
- 漆黒の夜: pitch-dark night
- 漆黒の瞳: jet-black eyes
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 真っ黒: completely black — everyday, casual equivalent
- 暗黒: total darkness — emphasizes the absence of light rather than the color
- 墨色: ink black — another literary color term, slightly softer