Japanese word

灯火

Pronunciation

Romajitomoshibi

Meaning

  • nounlight

Example

暗い部屋で灯火が静かに揺れています。kura i heya de tomoshibi ga shizu ka ni yu re te i ma su

A light is flickering quietly in the dark room.

Illustration for 灯火 (light)

More examples

読書のあとで灯火を消して、静かに眠りました。doku sho no a to de tomoshibi o ke shi te shizu ka ni nemu ri ma shi ta

After reading, I put out the light and went to sleep quietly.

Core concept

Describes a small source of light that makes darkness visible, whether it comes from a flame or a lamp.

Common phrases

  • 灯火を掲げるtomoshibi o kaka ge ru

    hold up a light

  • 灯火を消すtomoshibi o ke su

    put out a light

Similar words

灯りakari: A light produced by a lamp, candle, or other source that makes a place visible.
明かりakari: Light that allows people to see in a dark place and may come from a lamp, a flame, or another source.
ともしびtomoshibi: A small flame or lamp that gives off a soft light in the darkness.

Definition in Japanese

暗い場所を照らすための火や明かり。kura i ba sho o te ra su ta me no hi ya a ka ri

Word origin

灯火 (tomoshibi) is a native Japanese noun formed from 灯す (tomosu, "to light") and 火 (hi, "fire"), with the stem 灯し (tomoshi) joined to 火 (hi) as 灯し火 (tomoshibi).

Usage tips

  • This noun is more common in literary or formal writing than in everyday conversation, where simpler words for light are usually preferred.

Other meanings

  • lampnoun
  • torchnoun

Opposites

Word lists with this word