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.
Contents
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.
Hiragana | Romaji | Kanji | English | |
---|---|---|---|---|
あかちゃん | Aka chan | 赤ちゃん | Baby | |
あかのたにん | Aka no tanin | 赤の他人 | Complete stranger | |
せいしゅん | Seishun | 青春 | Springtime of life, Youth | |
しろくろをつける | Shiro kuro wo tsukeru | 白黒をつける | to decide whether something is right or wrong |
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)! ^^