ぼかす

ぼ

か

す

Common wordJLPTN1Freq.FrequencyTop 100,000

Meanings

1

godan verb (-su), transitive verb

blur; shade off; gradate

usually written using kana alone

Used for making edges, colors, or images less sharp, often in art, photography, or digital editing.

写しゃ真しんの背はい景けいをぼかして人じん物ぶつを目め立だたせる。
Blur the background of the photo to make the person stand out.

絵えの具ぐをぼかして空そらのグラデーションを描えがく。

Shade off the paints to create a gradient of the sky.

2

godan verb (-su), transitive verb

obscure; make ambiguous; fudge

usually written using kana alone

Used for making statements, meanings, or boundaries unclear or vague, often deliberately.

彼かれは都つ合ごうが悪わるくなると話はなしをぼかす。
He fudges the story when it becomes inconvenient for him.
責せき任にんの所しょ在ざいをぼかしてはいけない。
You must not obscure where the responsibility lies.

Written forms

ぼかすUsage99%
Usually written in kana; the kanji forms 暈す and 暈かす are rare.
暈ぼかすUsage1%
rarely-used kanji form
Rare kanji form; the kana spelling is strongly preferred.
暈ぼかす
rarely-used kanji form
Rare kanji form; the kana spelling is strongly preferred.

Kanji

暈halo, corona, fade

Similar words

ぼやける
Intransitive; describes something becoming or being blurred on its own, while ぼかす is transitive and means to deliberately blur something.
にじむ
Intransitive; refers to ink or color bleeding or spreading, often unintentionally, whereas ぼかす is a controlled action.

Etymology

Derived from the adjective ぼける (to become dim or blurred) with the transitive suffix す. The kanji 暈 is associated with 'halo' or 'blur', but the word is now almost always written in kana.