明かす

• 読み: あかす
• ローマ字: akasu
• 漢字の分解: 明 (mei/aka) — bright, clear, reveal
• 発音: /a.ka.sɯ/

意味

To reveal or disclose (a secret, truth, or identity); to spend or pass (the night). Two distinct but common usages.

A Group 1 (godan) verb. In the sense of disclosure, 明かす is used when someone makes something previously hidden known — such as 秘密を明かす (reveal a secret) or 正体を明かす (reveal one's identity). In the temporal sense, 夜を明かす means to stay up all night or to pass the night doing something. Both senses share the meaning of 'bringing something to light' or 'seeing something through to dawn.'

例文

1. 彼は長年黙っていた真実をついに明かし、周囲を驚かせた。
2. 探偵は事件の全容を明かして、依頼人の疑問を解消した。
3. 徹夜で資料を読みながら夜を明かすことが、試験前の習慣だった。

使い方ガイド

場面: literature, daily life, journalism, mystery

トーン: neutral

起源と歴史

From the verb 明く (to brighten, to become clear). The transitive form 明かす carries the sense of actively making something bright or clear, whether illuminating a truth or seeing through the dark night until dawn.

文化的背景

時代: Classical

世代: All ages

社会的背景: General