Korean word

캄캄하다

Pronunciation

Romanizationkamkamhada

Meaning

  • adjectivedark

Example

밤이라서 골목이 캄캄해.pa mi ra seo kol mo gi kam kam hae

Because it was night, the alley was pitch-dark.

Illustration for 캄캄하다 (dark)

More examples

불을 끄니 방이 캄캄했다.pu reul kkeu ni pang i kam kam haet tta

When I turned off the light, the room was pitch-dark.

Core concept

A space swallowed by near-total darkness, with almost no light and little or nothing visible.

Common phrases

  • 캄캄한 밤kam kam han pam

    pitch-dark night

  • 캄캄한 골목kam kam han kol mok

    pitch-dark alley

  • 캄캄한 복도kam kam han pok tto

    pitch-dark hallway

Similar words

깜깜하다kkamkkamhada: Being completely dark, so shapes and colors are impossible to make out.
어둡다eoduptta: Being dark because there is not enough light to see clearly.
컴컴하다keomkeomhada: Being dim and weakly lit, with nearby objects only faintly visible.

Definition in Korean

빛이 거의 없어서 주위가 전혀 보이지 않을 정도로 매우 어두운 상태를 이르는 말.pi chi keo ui eop sseo seo chu wi ga cheon hyeo po i ji a neul jjeong do ro mae u eo du un sang tae reul i reu neun mal

Word origin

The historical formation of this adjective is uncertain, so it is best learned as a whole word.

Usage tips

  • English dark covers mild dimness as well, but this Korean adjective presents a much stronger scene where visibility is nearly gone.

Opposites

Related words

  • 캄캄함kamkamhampitch darknessnoun
  • 캄캄해지다kamkamhaejidabecome pitch-darkverb

Word lists with this word