メイ, ミョウ, くら.い

dark

JLPT0 G7 S10 F2349

In its present form, # cover + an element combining sun/day + (originally, enter) → cover blocking the entry of sunlight → *darkness* → *the depths*; *the other world* (← unseen dimension). Also, *stupidity* (← dark ignorance). However, itself is likely the source of the element/character, suggesting that a different combination of elements conveyed the idea of darkness in the earliest form of .

[Full Kanji Etymology List]