Colors in Japanese – Complete list of useful vocabulary

In this article, we will teach you all about colors in Japanese. Nature in Japan offers a colorful landscape all year round, including the pink cherry blossom in spring and autumn leaves in various yellow and red colors.

Let’s discover and learn Japanese color words and Japanese culture today.

Japanese Words For Basic Colors

Unlike the simple two-colored Japanese flag, nature and scenery in Japan are full of different colors.

Not to mention, spring is the time for the pink cherry blossoms. You can enjoy the lively blue and green in summer, colorful leaves in autumn, and silvery white mountains in winter. Any Japanese colors will inspire your experiences.

Colors in Japanese

To start with the vocabulary, here are some words that refer to and describes “color” in Japanese.

Hiragana	Romaji	Kanji	English
いろ	Iro	色	Color
いろあい	Iroai	色合い	Color
しきさい	Shikisai	色彩	Color
いろとりどり	Iro tori dori	色とりどり、色取り取り	Colorful
しきさいゆたか	Shikisai yutaka	色彩豊か	Colorful

Examples

いちばんすきないろはなんですか？(Ichiban suki na iro wa nan desu ka? | 一番好きな色は何ですか？)

What is your favorite color?

しきさいゆたかなかいが (Shikisai yutaka na kaiga | 色彩豊かな絵画 )

Colorful paintings

Japanese Color Words

Now, let’s learn how different colors are called in Japanese.

Japanese Word for Primary Colors and Other Basic Colors

Here are the Japanese words for the basic colors.

Hiragana/Katakana	Romaji	Kanji	English
あか	Aka	赤	Red
あお	Ao	青	Blue
き	Ki	黄	Yellow
だいだい、オレンジ	Daidai, Orenji	橙、オレンジ	Orange
みどり	Midori	緑	Green
きみどり	Ki midori	黄緑	Light green
むらさき	Murasaki	紫	Purple
ももいろ、ピンク	Momo iro, Pink	桃色、ピンク	Pink
みずいろ	Mizu iro	水色	Light blue
こん	Kon	紺	Navy blue
はい	Hai	灰	Gray
ちゃ	Cha	茶	Brown
しろ	Shiro	白	White
くろ	Kuro	黒	Black

You can add いろ (Iro | 色 | Color) into some color words.

Hiragana/Katakana	Romaji	Kanji	English
きいろ	Ki iro	黄色	Yellow
みどりいろ	Midori iro	緑色	Green
オレンジいろ	Orenji iro	オレンジ色	Orange
はいいろ	Hai iro	灰色	Gray

• きいろ (Ki iro | 黄色 | Yellow)
• みどりいろ (Midori iro | 緑色 | Green)
• オレンジいろ (Orenji iro | オレンジ色 | Orange)
• はいいろ (Hai iro | 灰色 | Gray)

Also, カタカナ (Katakana | 片仮名) color words using original English sounds are typical in Japan nowadays.

Katakana	Romaji	English
カラー	Karaa	Color
カラフル	Karafuru	Colorful
グレー	Guree	Gray
ベージュ	Beeju	Beige
アイボリー	Aiborii	Ivory
カーキ	Kaaki	Khaki

How to Use Japanese Color Names

There are various rules in using the words for Japanese colors. We’ll discuss each of them below.

Japanese Colors as Adjectives

When using these colors as adjectives, there are three rules to keep in mibnd

Japanese Language Rule 1

The name of the colors is a noun in Japanese, and you can make adjectives by adding い (i) into each color in Japanese. However, this rule only applies to the following four colors.

• あか (Aka | 赤 | Red) → あかい (Aka i | 赤い | Red)
• あお (Ao | 青 | Blue) → あおい (Ao i | 青い | Blue)
• しろ (Shiro | 白 | White) → しろい (Shiro i | 白い | White)
• くろ (Kuro | 黒 | Black) → くろい (Kuro i | 黒い | Black)

Example

あおいそら (Aoi sora | 青い空)

Blue sky

わたしのかみはくろい。 (Watashi no kami wa kuroi. | 私の髪は黒い。)

My hair is black.

Japanese Language Rule 2

The two colors below need to have いろい (iro i | 色い).

• きいろ → きいろい (Ki iro i | 黄色い | Yellow)
• ちゃいろ → ちゃいろい (Cha iro i | 茶色い | Brown)

Here are some of the common mistakes that learners have when writing these colors.

• き → きい (Ki i | 黄い | Yellow)
• ちゃ → ちゃい (Cha i | 茶い | Brown)

Example

きいろいながぐつ (Kiiro i nagagutsu | 黄色い長靴)

Yellow boots

あのいぬはちゃいろい。 (Ano inu wa chairo i. | あの犬は茶色い。)

The dog is brown.

Japanese Language Rule 3

Other colors need to have の (no) or いろの (iro no) instead of い (i) or いろい (iro i | 色い).

Japanese learners often have these mistakes:

• むらさき → むらさきい、むらさきいろい (Murasaki i, Murasaki iro i | 紫い、紫色い | Purple)
• みどり → みどりい、みどりいろい (Midori i, Midori iro i | 緑い、緑色い | Green)
• ピンク → ピンクい、ピンクいろい (Pinku i, Pinku iro i | ピンクい、ピンク色い | Pink)
• みずいろ → みずいろい (Mizu iro i | 水色い | Light blue)

These should be written as:

• むらさき or むらさきいろ → むらさきの、むらさきいろの (Murasaki no, Murasaki iro no | 紫の、紫色の | Purple)
• みどり or みどりいろ → みどりの、みどりいろの (Midori no, Midori iro no | 緑の、緑色の | Green)
• ピンク → ピンクの、 ピンクいろの(Pinku no, Pinku iro no | ピンクの、ピンク色の | Pink)
• みずいろ → みずいろの (Mizu iro no | 水色の | Light blue)

Example

むらさきのはな、むらさきいろのはな (Murasaki no hana, Murasaki iro no hana | 紫の花、紫色の花 )

Purple flowers

みずいろのぼうし (Mizu iro no boushi | 水色の帽子 )

Light blue hat, Light blue cap

Describing Colors and Shades in Japanese

Using Adjectives and Quasi-Adjectives

When talking about specific shades, these are the words that you should use.

Hiragana/Katakana	Romaji	Kanji	English
うすい	Usui	薄い	pale, light, delicate
あわい	Awai	淡い	pale, light, delicate
こい	Koi	濃い	dark, deep, strong
あかるい	Akarui	明るい	bright, vivid
くらい	Kurai	暗い	dark, shade, strong
あざやかな	Azayaka	鮮やかな	clear, vivid
くすんだ	Kusunda	燻んだ	dull, dark

Emphasizing Color Word in Japanese

It’s only valid in four colors, but you can emphasize specific colors by using まっ (Maa | 真っ | very, genuinely).

Hiragana/Katakana	Romaji	Kanji	English
まっしろなゆき	Masshiro na yuki	真っ白な雪	Pure white snow
まっさおなうみ	Massao na umi	真っ青な海	Deep blue sea
まっかなたいよう	Makka na taiyou	真っ赤な太陽	Burning red sun
まっくろになる。	Makkuro ni naru.	真っ黒になる。	It gets pitch black.

Japanese Colors and Japanese Culture

Japan has a very colorful culture (also literally). Here are some color words in Japanese that you can use to describe things related to Japan and its culture.

Meaning of Common Colors in Japan

• The reddish-orange color named しゅいろ (Shu iro | 朱色) is typical in Japanese shrines and temples. It symbolizes longevity and the power of nature, and is believed to ward off misfortune and evil spirits.
• しろ (Shiro | 白 | White) signifies integrity, purity, and holiness in Japan. Until Western culture and dress became the new normal, people wore white-colored attire only on special occasions.

Food Colors in Japanese

わしょく (Washoku | 和食 | Japanese cuisine) values its いろどり (Irodori | 彩、彩り | Color).

Shiny white color rice and freshly prepared colorful vegetables are essential. They often use edible garnishes or gold leaves to decorate dishes and traditional sweets.

Tea Colors in Japanese

Japanese tea りょくちゃ (Ryoku cha | 緑茶 | Green tea) and まっちゃ (Maccha | 抹茶 | Matcha) are a beautiful green, but there are more colors in their tea selections.

Color	Hiragana	Romaji	Kanji	English
Yellow Green	げんまいちゃ	Genmai cha	玄米茶	Green tea with roasted brown rice
Light/Dark Brown	ほうじちゃ	Houji cha	ほうじ茶	Roasted green tea
Dark Brown	むぎちゃ	Mugi cha	麦茶	Barley tea
Dark Red	こうちゃ	Koucha	紅茶	Black tea
Yellow Brown	こんぶちゃ	Konbu cha	昆布茶	Kelp tea

Traffic Light Colors in Japanese

The Japanese traffic lights visually come in three colors, as in many other countries. However, Japanese people call them in a slightly different way. So, don’t get confused.

Instead of みどり (midori | green), あお (ao | blue) is the color used to refer to the traffic signal for “go.” This is because until the Heian period (between 794 and 1185), the Japanese language only had words for the four basic colors, which are black, white, red, and blue. And, when referring to something green, the word あお (ao | blue) was used.

Hiragana	Romaji	Kanji	English
あおしんごう	Ao Shingou	青信号	Blue traffic signal
きしんごう	Ki Shingou	黄信号	Yellow traffic signal
あかしんごう	Aka Shingou	赤信号	Red traffic signal

Blue and Green in Japanese

Similar to the traffic light facts, Japanese people sometimes have a vague boundary between blue, green, and black.

Hiragana	Romaji	Kanji	English
あおりんご	Ao ringo	青りんご、青林檎	Green apple
あおな	Aona	青菜	Green leafy vegetables
あおあおとしたみどり	Aoao to shita midori	青々とした緑	Lushly green
みどりのかみ	Midori no kami	緑の髪	Green hair
あおげのうま	Aoge no uma	青毛の馬	Blue-haired horse

Rainbow Colors in Japanese

In Japan, the number of rainbow colors is considered seven from the outside to the inside of its arch.

Hiragana	Romaji	Kanji	English
あか	Aka	赤	Red
だいだい	Daidai	橙	Orange
き	Ki	黄	Yellow
みどり	Midori	緑	Green
あお	Ao	青	Blue
あい	Ai	藍	Indigo blue
むらさき	Murasaki	紫	Purple

Example

• なないろのにじ (Nana iro no niji | 七色の虹 | Rainbow of seven colors)
• にじいろ (Niji iro | 虹色 | Rainbow color)
• グラデーション、かいちょう (Guradeeshon, Kaichou | グラデーション、海調 | Gradation, Gradient)
• こうさい (Kousai | 虹彩 | Iris)

Medal Colors in Japanese

きんメダル (Kin medaru | 金メダル | Gold medal), ぎんメダル (Gin medaru | 銀メダル | Silver medal), and どうメダル (Dou medaru | 銅メダル | Bronze medal) are the right words for the first, second, and third place medals in the Japanese language.

Hiragana	Romaji	Kanji	English
きん、きんいろ	Kin, Kin iro	金、金色	Gold
ぎん、ぎんいろ	Gin, Gin iro	銀、銀色	Silver
どう、どういろ	Dou, Dou iro	銅、銅色	Copper
せいどう、せいどういろ	Seidou, Seidou iro	青銅、青銅色	Bronze

Traditional Japanese Colors

In ancient Japan, native Japanese used four color words to describe things.

Hiragana	Romaji	Kanji	English
あか	Aka	赤	Red
あお	Ao	青	Blue
しろ	Shiro	白	White
くろ	Kuro	黒	Black

Therefore, these colors have many related words and expressions.

Yet, people have developed and created many colors over time. Currently, more than four hundred traditional Japanese colors are recognized.

Examples

Hiragana	Romaji	Kanji	English
さくらいろ	Sakura iro	桜色	Cherry blossom pink
あめいろ	Ame iro	飴色	Transparent amber
そらいろ	Sora iro	空色	Sky blue
やまぶきいろ	Yamabuki iro	山吹色	Brilliant reddish yellow
ぐんじょういろ	Gunjou iro	群青色	Ultramarine blue
えどむらさき	Edo murasaki	江戸紫	Edo purple
わさびいろ	Wasabi iro	山葵色	Grayish yellow green
あさぎいろ	Asagi iro	浅葱色	Bright teal
こんいろ	Kon iro	紺色	Navy blue
げっぱく	Geppaku	月白	Moon white, White with a slight bluish touch
すみ	Sumi	墨	Ink black

Wrap Up

And that’s it for different colors in Japanese! We hope you have finished this lesson with flying colors!

がんばってください (Ganbatte kudasai)! ^^