Hey, language learners! Want to know how to talk about colors in Japanese? Well, you’re in luck! In this article, I’ll give you all the info you need to dive right into the world of Japanese colors. Don’t worry if you’re still figuring it out—I’ll break it down for you in an easy way!
Basic Color Vocabulary
Let’s start by listing some basic Japanese colors for your reference!
- 赤 (あか) – Red
- 青 (あお) – Blue
- 黒 (くろ) – Black
- 白 (しろ) – White
- 緑 (みどり) – Green
- 黄色 (きいろ) – Yellow
- 橙 (だいだい) – Orange
- 紫 (むらさき) – Purple
- 灰色 (はいいろ) – Gray
- 金色 (きんいろ) – Gold
Colors as Adjectives
You might have noticed the first four colors in the list above all end with い. This is because these colors can be used as い-type adjectives! If you don’t know how to use い-type adjectives, take a look at our grammar lessons so you can learn. These were the original main colors in Japan, and historically, they only had these four concepts to describe colors. So when you use these in a sentence, you can use these colors just like you would any adjective. Just place it before a noun to describe, or negate it to say something is not a certain color.
- 青い空がきれいです。
- (あおいそらがきれいです。)
- The blue sky is beautiful.
- 白い雪が降っています。
- (しろいゆきがふっています。)
- White snow is falling.
- その花は赤いです。
- (そのはなはあかいです。)
- That flower is red.
- この車は黒くないです。
- (このくるまはくろくないです。)
- This car is not black.
Colors as Nouns
The rest of the colors listed above can be used as nouns, which means the grammar is slightly different. Take a look at the following sentences and see how the different colors are used:
- この公園にはたくさんの緑があります。
- (このこうえんにはたくさんのみどりがあります。)
There is a lot of greenery in this park.
その車は鮮やかな黄色で目立っています。
(そのくるまはあざやかなきいろでめだっています。)
That car stands out with its vibrant yellow color.
- かわいらしい橙色の花が庭に咲いています。
- (かわいらしいだいだいいろのはながにわにさいています。)
Lovely orange-colored flowers are blooming in the garden.
- 彼女は紫のドレスを着ています。
- (かのじょはむらさきのどれすをきています。)
She is wearing a purple dress.
- この雲は灰色で雨が降りそうです。
- (このくもははいいろであめがふりそうです。)
These clouds are gray, and it looks like it might rain.
- 日の出の時、山々は美しい金色に輝きます。
- (ひのでのとき、やまやまはうつくしいきんいろにかがやきます。)
During sunrise, the mountains shine beautifully in a golden color.
Special Colors in Japanese
The word “青い” (あおい) in Japanese can represent both “blue” and “green”. This stems from history, where “青い” was used for both colors in the past, as they have no distinction in the language. For example, “青信号” (あおしんごう) refers to a green traffic light, even though the word for “blue” is used. So, next time you encounter the color “青い” in Japanese, remember its flexibility in capturing both blue and green shades.
There are also a few more shades that are unique to Japanese, like 朱色 (しゅいろ) which is the specific red color for the torii gates that you see in Japan. “桜色” (sakura-iro) literally meaning “cherry blossom color” is the delicate pink of cherry blossoms in the spring.
In fact, sometimes you can tack the kanji 色 (いろ) onto other words to describe certain colors, like 水色 (みずいろ) meaning “light blue” or literally “water color.”
English Loanwords for Colors
Nowadays English plays a huge part as loanwords in Japanese, and colors are no different. You can often see the English words for certain colors used in Japanese but pronounced in a Japanese way. These are written using katakana like this:
- レッド (reddo) – red
- ブルー (buruu) – blue
- ブラック (burakku) – black
- ホワイト (Howaito) – white
- イエロー (yieroo) – yellow
- オレンジ (orenji) – orange
- グレー (guree) – gray
- ゴールド (goorudo) – gold
- シルバー (shirubaa) – silver
- パープル (paapuru) – purple
- ブラウン (buraun) – brown
- ピンク (pinku) – pink
Whether you are describing the scenery, or talking about what someone is wearing, colors represent a significant part of how we see the world. We hope you can use this guide to start talking about colors in Japanese and use them with ease in everyday life!
