Translation guide
A guide to expressing 'haze' in Japanese, covering atmospheric haze, mental confusion, and related expressions.
山が霞んでいる。
The mountains are hazy.
頭がぼんやりしている。
My mind is hazy.
Describing reduced visibility due to dust, smoke, or moisture in the air.
General term for haze, mist, or blur. Often used for spring haze or distant views becoming obscured.
遠くの山が霞んで見える。
The distant mountains look hazy.
春霞が立ちこめている。
A spring haze is hanging in the air.
Thin mist or haze, often over water or in the morning. Slightly more literary than 霞.
湖に靄がかかっている。
A haze is hanging over the lake.
Smoke and fog; smog. Used in technical or weather contexts.
煙霧注意報が出ている。
A smog advisory has been issued.
Describing a state of mental fog, confusion, or unclear thinking.
Literally 'head is hazy', meaning to feel spaced out or mentally foggy.
寝不足で頭がぼんやりしている。
My head feels hazy from lack of sleep.
Consciousness becomes hazy or dim; often used for medical or intoxicated states.
熱で意識がもうろうとしている。
My consciousness is hazy from the fever.
Dazed, dim, hazy state of mind. Often used in compounds like 朦朧状態.
Describing memories that are unclear or vague.
Memory is vague or hazy. 曖昧 means ambiguous or unclear.
昨夜の記憶が曖昧だ。
My memory of last night is hazy.
Memory is dim or hazy. おぼろげ implies faintness, like a hazy moon.
子供の頃の記憶はおぼろげだ。
My childhood memories are hazy.
Describing a soft, blurred, or hazy look in images or vision.
Soft focus effect in photography, creating a hazy or dreamy look.
ポートレートをソフトフォーカスで撮る。
Take a portrait with a soft focus (hazy effect).
To be blurred or hazy. Can be used for vision or images.
霞 (kasumi) is haze, often implying a thin veil that softens distant views. 霧 (kiri) is fog, thicker and closer to the ground. 靄 (moya) is mist or thin haze, often over water or in valleys. In everyday speech, 霞 is the most common for 'haze'.
霞がかかった景色
A hazy landscape
濃い霧で前が見えない
I can't see ahead because of thick fog
The loanword ヘイズ (heizu) is sometimes used for 'haze' in technical contexts (e.g., haze pollution), but it is not common. Stick to native words like 霞 or 靄 for natural Japanese.
彼は朦朧とした意識の中でつぶやいた。
He muttered in a hazy state of consciousness.
写真がぼやけている。
The photo is hazy/blurry.