暗

àn

(literary) to close (a door)

to eclipse; confused; ignorant (variant of 暗[an4]); dark (variant of 暗[an4])

sun (日) + sound (音) = darkness

When the sun is muffled or blocked — like a sound swallowed up — there is no light. 音 mainly gives the sound àn here; 日 carries the meaning by evoking what is absent.

日+音→暗
日The sunSemantic
音SoundPhonetic

天色渐暗,我们快回家吧。

tiān sè jiàn àn, wǒ men kuài huí jiā ba。

The sky is gradually getting dark, let's head home quickly.

屋子里没有灯,光线很暗。

wū zi lǐ méi yǒu dēng, guāng xiàn hěn àn。

There is no light in the room, and the lighting is very dim.

Words with 暗

暗合

àn hé

to agree implicitly

暗示

àn shì

to hint; to suggest

暗道

àn dào

secret passage; secret tunnel

暗影

àn yǐng

shadow; umbra

阴暗

yīn àn

dim

阴暗面

yīn àn miàn

the dark side (of society etc)

头昏眼暗

tóu hūn yǎn àn

head spinning and eyes dark (idiom); dizzy

黎明前的黑暗

lí míng qián de hēi àn

darkness comes before dawn

黑暗

hēi àn

dark

黑暗时代

hēi àn shí dài

Dark Ages

黑暗面

hēi àn miàn

(lit. and fig.) dark side

黝暗

yǒu àn

murk

More characters with 日

旮旯冒冕塌易