ぼやける

• Reading: ぼやける
• Romaji: boyakeru
• Pronunciation: /bo.ja.ke.ɾɯ/

Meaning

To become dim; to become blurred; to go out of focus. Describes the loss of clarity in vision, images, or abstract concepts.

A Group 2 (ichidan) intransitive verb. Written in hiragana. Used for both physical blurring (photos, eyesight) and figurative fuzziness (memories, boundaries, distinctions). The transitive counterpart is ぼかす (to blur intentionally).

Examples

1. 涙で視界がぼやけて前が見えなかった。 My vision blurred with tears and I couldn't see ahead.
2. 古い写真がぼやけて誰だかわからない。 The old photo is so blurry I can't tell who it is.
3. 議論の焦点がぼやけてきた。 The focus of the discussion has gotten fuzzy.

Usage Guide

Context: vision, photography, abstract descriptions

Tone: descriptive

Origin & History

Related to ぼんやり (vaguely/dimly) and ぼやく (to grumble indistinctly). All share the ぼ- root suggesting lack of clarity or sharpness.

Cultural Context

Era: Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal