仄めかす

• Reading: ほのめかす
• Romaji: honomekasu
• Kanji breakdown: 仄 (hono) — faint, dim, slight
• Pronunciation: /ho.no.me.ka.sɯ/

Meaning

To hint at; to intimate; to suggest indirectly; to allude to; to imply. Used when conveying something without stating it outright.

A Group 1 (godan) transitive verb. Derived from 仄か (honoka, faint/dim). Describes indirect communication where the speaker deliberately avoids being explicit. Common in interpersonal drama, political speech, and literary analysis. The nuance is more subtle than ほのめかす compared to 暗示する.

Examples

1. 彼女は転職を考えていることを仄めかした。 She hinted that she was thinking about changing jobs.
2. 監督は次回作の内容を少しだけ仄めかした。 The director dropped a few hints about his next project.
3. 辞任の可能性を仄めかす発言があった。 There was a statement that hinted at the possibility of resignation.

Usage Guide

Context: conversation, politics, media

Tone: subtle

Origin & History

From 仄か (honoka, faint/dim) with the causative suffix めかす. The image is of making something faintly visible rather than clearly showing it — letting meaning glow dimly through indirect words.

Cultural Context

Era: Classical

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal