Translation guide
Ways to express cloudiness in Japanese, covering weather, liquids, glass, and abstract unclearness.
Describing the sky or weather as cloudy, overcast, or having many clouds.
The most common word for cloudy weather. Used as a noun or in weather forecasts.
今日は曇りです。
It's cloudy today.
明日は曇りのち雨でしょう。
Tomorrow will be cloudy, then rainy.
The te-iru form of 曇る (to become cloudy), describing the current state of being cloudy.
空が曇っています。
The sky is cloudy.
Literally 'cloudy sky', used to describe an overcast sky.
曇り空が広がっている。
An overcast sky is spreading.
An onomatopoeic adverb describing a dull, heavy, overcast sky. Often implies a gloomy atmosphere.
どんよりした天気だね。
It's a dull, cloudy day, isn't it?
Describing water, drinks, or other liquids that are not clear or transparent.
The noun form of 濁る (to become cloudy/muddy). Used for liquids like water, sake, or soup.
この水は濁りがある。
This water has some cloudiness.
濁り酒が好きです。
I like unfiltered (cloudy) sake.
The te-iru form of 濁る, describing the current state of a liquid being cloudy or turbid.
池の水が濁っている。
The pond water is cloudy.
A technical or literary term for white turbidity or cloudiness, often used in scientific contexts.
Describing fogging, condensation, or a cloudy film on surfaces like windows, mirrors, or lenses.
Also used for cloudiness on glass or mirrors, such as fog from breath or steam.
Describing the state of being fogged up or cloudy.
窓が曇っていて外が見えない。
The window is fogged up and I can't see outside.
Anti-fog agent or treatment. Literally 'cloudiness stopper'.
くもり止めスプレーを使う。
Use anti-fog spray.
Describing a lack of clarity in thinking, expression, or situations.
Vagueness or ambiguity. Used for unclear statements, memories, or boundaries.
彼の説明には曖昧さがある。
There is some vagueness in his explanation.
Unclearness or indistinctness, often used for sounds, images, or statements.
An onomatopoeic word for a hazy, fuzzy feeling or unclear state of mind. Often used for emotional cloudiness.
Literary or medical term for cloudiness or turbidity, often used for consciousness or mind.
曇り (kumori) is used for weather and glass fogging, while 濁り (nigori) is used for liquids becoming turbid. Do not mix them up.
The English noun 'cloudiness' does not always have a direct noun equivalent in Japanese. Often it is more natural to use a verb phrase like 曇っている or 濁っている, or an adjective like 曖昧な.
溶液が白濁した。
The solution became cloudy/white.
録音の不明瞭さが問題だ。
The unclearness of the recording is a problem.
頭の中がもやもやしている。
My mind is foggy/cloudy.
意識の混濁が見られる。
Clouding of consciousness is observed.