Komorebi
noun /ˌkoʊməˈreɪbi/ — Sunlight filtering through the leaves of trees.
Definition
The Japanese word for the interplay of light and leaves — sunlight that filters through tree branches, creating patterns of light and shadow.
Beyond the definition
One of the most beautiful words to enter English via Japanese. It names something everyone has noticed and no one in English had a word for. The specific experience of sunlight through leaves is apparently worth naming — and it is.
Origin & history
From Japanese 木漏れ日 (ko 'tree' + more 'leaking' + bi 'sun'). Sunlight leaking through trees.
Example sentences
Illustrative sentences for learning, not verified community posts or sourced quotations.
She stopped walking to watch the komorebi on the path — gold and moving.
Komorebi on water is one of those things that stops time.
The forest was full of komorebi in the late afternoon.
Synonyms
dappled light, forest light, filtered sunlight
Antonyms
darkness, shade
Related words
Komorebi vs dappled light
Komorebi is a culturally evocative term for sunlight filtering through trees, specifically suggesting the interplay of shadows and leaves. Dappled light is a technical, physical description of any light spotted with shadows or patches of brightness.
Word in the Wild
See how this word appears in life, language and stories.
Illustrative sentences and imagined stories for learning — not verified sightings, interviews, or sourced quotations.
Fictional scene
Landscape after rain with light
A stream flows through damp soil under trees as sunlight breaks through the clouds, filtering onto the forest floor.
The interplay of light filtering through branches to hit the stream and soil represents the essence of this term: the visual rhythm created by light passing through leaves.
Image credit: Wordspun · AI-generated conceptual illustration