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.
How to use it
This entry uses a noun. Follow the examples for articles and singular or plural forms; not every noun takes “a” or “an.”
Choose “Komorebi” when the meaning fits your context: The Japanese word for the interplay of light and leaves — sunlight that filters through tree branches, creating patterns of light and shadow.
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
Illustrative story: an imagined scene, not a documented event or interview.
There is a path through a cedar forest in Kyoto that photographers return to every season, chasing the same effect: the sun moving through the canopy, light fragmenting into distinct beams and patches on the forest floor below.
The Japanese have a word for this light — for this specific quality of sun that has passed through leaves before it reaches you. The word is old. The feeling it describes is older.
Photographers who speak Japanese say the word itself feels like what it names. A sound that filters through, all at once diffuse and specific.
Questions about this word
What does "Komorebi" mean?
Komorebi is noun meaning: Sunlight filtering through the leaves of trees.. The Japanese word for the interplay of light and leaves — sunlight that filters through tree branches, creating patterns of light and shadow.
Which words express “beautiful but fading”?
Komorebi — Sunlight filtering through the leaves of trees.
Where does the word "Komorebi" come from?
From Japanese 木漏れ日 (ko 'tree' + more 'leaking' + bi 'sun'). Sunlight leaking through trees.