Translucent materials let light pass through them, but you can't see clearly through them. When you hold a piece of wax paper up to a window, light glows through it, but you can't read the words on a page behind it. That's translucent: light yes, clear view no.

Think of a frosted glass shower door or a paper lampshade. Light shines through, creating a soft glow, but shapes on the other side appear blurry or shadowy. This makes translucent materials perfect for situations where you want light but also privacy or a gentler, more diffused brightness.

Compare this to transparent materials like clear glass or clean water, where you can see straight through with perfect clarity. A transparent window lets you see every detail of the tree outside; a translucent curtain lets the sunlight in but turns that same tree into a hazy silhouette. Meanwhile, opaque materials like wood or metal block light completely.

Jellyfish are translucent, allowing light to pass through their bodies. So are rice paper, certain plastics, and thin slices of stone like alabaster. When light meets something translucent, it scatters and softens, creating that characteristic hazy glow.