不明朗

• Reading: ふめいろう
• Romaji: fumeirō
• Kanji breakdown: 不 (fu) — not; 明 (mei) — bright, clear; 朗 (rō) — cheerful, clear, bright
• Pronunciation: /ɸɯ.me.i.ɾo.ɯ/

Meaning

Murky; shady; lacking transparency. A situation or dealings that are suspiciously opaque.

A na-adjective and noun with two main uses: (1) describing a gloomy, dark atmosphere: 不明朗な雰囲気 (a gloomy atmosphere); (2) describing financial or organisational dealings that lack transparency: 不明朗な会計 (murky accounting). The second usage is more common in modern Japanese, particularly in news and investigative reporting. The opposite is 明朗 (meirō, cheerful/transparent).

Examples

1. 不明朗な資金の流れが調査の対象になった。 The murky flow of funds became the subject of an investigation.
2. 組織内の不明朗な人事に批判が集まった。 Criticism piled up over shady personnel decisions within the organization.
3. 不明朗な点があれば説明を求めるべきだ。 If there are any suspicious points, you should demand an explanation.

Usage Guide

Context: finance, politics, investigations

Tone: suspicious

Origin & History

From Sino-Japanese: 不 (fu, not) + 明朗 (meirō, cheerful/bright/transparent). 明朗 combines 明 (bright) and 朗 (clear/cheerful) — the negation implies darkness, gloom, or suspicious opacity.

Cultural Context

Era: Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Educated