bokeh

What is another word for bokeh? Here is its meaning, with related words and examples.

Noun — The pleasing quality of the blurred parts of a photograph, especially the out-of-focus background.

We haven't recorded synonyms for bokeh yet. You can still read its full definition, where it comes from, or words that rhyme with it.

How to use bokeh

The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.

creamy bokeh bokeh balls

It is a specialist photography term rather than everyday vocabulary.

Etymology

Bokeh comes from Japanese, borrowed from the word boke, meaning blur, itself formed from the verb bokeru, to blur. English adds a silent final h purely to steer pronunciation, so speakers do not rhyme it with words like joke. The spelling was popularised by an editor writing in a photography magazine in the late 1990s,...

Full origin of bokeh →

Frequently asked questions

How do you pronounce bokeh?

Say it as BOH-kuh, with roughly equal weight on both syllables, similar to saying bone followed by Kenneth.

What does bokeh mean in photography?

It describes how pleasing the blurred, out-of-focus areas of a photo look, not how sharp the in-focus subject is.

Where does the word bokeh come from?

It comes from the Japanese word boke, meaning blur.

Nearby words

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