Japanese word

ぼやける

Pronunciation

Romajiboyakeru

Meaning

  • verbbecome blurred

Example

写真がぼやけます。sha shin ga bo ya ke ma su

The picture becomes blurred.

Illustration for ぼやける (become blurred)

More examples

霧が濃くなると、遠くの山がぼやけて見えます。kiri ga ko ku na ru to tō ku no yama ga bo ya ke te mi e ma su

As the fog gets thicker, the distant mountains appear blurred.

Core concept

Describes a change in which details become unclear and the original brightness or color may also weaken.

Common phrases

  • 視界がぼやけるshi kai ga bo ya ke ru

    one's vision becomes blurred

  • 記憶がぼやけるki oku ga bo ya ke ru

    one's memory becomes dim

  • 輪郭がぼやけるrin kaku ga bo ya ke ru

    the outline becomes blurred

Similar words

ぼけるbokeru: To lose sharp detail because the image is not in clear focus.
かすむkasumu: To become hard to see because of haze, mist, or reduced clarity.
にじむnijimu: To become unclear in appearance because outlines or colors spread.

Definition in Japanese

物の形や色、光などがはっきり見えなくなる。mono no katachi ya iro hikari na do ga ha kki ri mi e na ku na ru

Word origin

ぼやける (boyakeru) is a native Japanese formation based on ぼや (boya, "indistinctness"); adding ける (keru) makes a verb meaning to become indistinct.

Usage tips

  • In photography, ぼやける (boyakeru) often describes an out-of-focus picture, while a dim picture has reduced light rather than only lost sharpness.

Other meanings

  • become dimverb

Opposites

Word lists with this word