ほのか

ほのか

na-adjective

faint; slight; dim

1. faint; slight; dim

Barely perceptible but present, and usually pleasant: a faint scent, a hint of sweetness, a dim light, a faint hope or first feelings of love.

ほのかな香(かお)りがする。

There's a faint scent.

このお茶(ちゃ)はほのかに甘(あま)い。

This tea is faintly sweet.

夜明(よあ)け前(まえ)、窓(まど)の外(そと)がほのかに明(あか)るくなってきた。

Before dawn, it began to grow faintly light outside the window.

A soft, slightly literary word. Its adverb form ほのかに is as common as ほのかな. It is sometimes written 仄(ほの)か.

Common collocations

ほのかな香(かお)り: a faint fragrance
ほのかに甘(あま)い: faintly sweet
ほのかな光(ひかり): a dim glow
ほのかな期待(きたい): a faint hope
ほのかな恋心(こいごころ): the first stirrings of love

Similar words

かすか: faint, barely perceptible; neutral, and common for sounds and memories
うっすら: thinly, lightly, as in a light layer of snow

Related Words

Compare: 微(かす)か (faint, barely perceptible)

Compare: うっすら (thinly, lightly, as in a light layer…)

general

Added 2026.9.29 22:14 · Revised 2026.10.3 4:16

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