Colors are important for describing and identifying things in the world around us. This is especially true for language learners, as even with limited vocabulary, you can point out objects with phrases such as “the blue one” or “the red thing.”
When it comes to learning Japanese, many people become interested in Japan through Japanese art. Japanese illustrations and fashion are internationally recognized, and just as Japanese words have deep meanings that are fascinating to explore, there’s so much to discover in the realm of Japanese visuals. For those who’d like to engage with this aspect of Japanese culture, countless opportunities exist to talk about colors in Japanese.
The term for “color” in Japanese is iro (色). This is useful to keep in mind as you learn the words for colors in the Japanese language and how to use them.
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Basic Japanese colors
The chart below includes the 11 basic colors in Japanese. Notice how some color names end with the word iro (meaning “color”):
| Japanese | Romanization | Pronunciation | English |
| 赤 | aka | ah-kah | red |
| 橙色 | daidai iro | dye-dye ee-roh | orange |
| 黄色 | ki iro | kee ee-roh | yellow |
| 緑 | midori | mee-doh-ree | green |
| 青 | ao | ah-oh | blue |
| 紫 | murasaki | moo-rah-sah-kee | purple |
| 灰色 | hai iro | hye ee-roh | gray |
| 茶色 | chairo | chye-roh | brown |
| 黒 | kuro | koo-roh | black |
| 白 | shiro | shee-roh | white |
| 桃色 | momo iro | moh-moh ee-roh | pink |
Less common colors in Japanese
In the majority of situations, the basic Japanese colors are sufficient. For those who’d like to expand their vocabulary or are especially interested in colors, here are some more useful descriptive color words:
| Japanese | Romanization | Pronunciation | English |
| 銀色 | gin iro | gheen ee-roh | silver |
| 金色 | kin iro | keen ee-roh | gold |
| 肌色 | hada iro | hah-dah ee-roh | peach skin color |
| 褐色 | kasshoku | kah-SHOH-koo | tan |
| 紅 | kurenai | koo-reh-nah-ee | crimson |
| 水色 | mizu iro | mee-zoo ee-roh | light blue |
| 透明 | tōmē | tohh-may | transparent |
Japanese colors that are loanwords
While you can express most colors with entirely Japanese words, sometimes a loanword is preferred. Japanese loanwords for colors are largely based on English, making them easier to remember for English speakers.
For example, the color pink in Japanese is more often described with the loanword pinku rather than momo iro. And for the color gray, gurē is more common than hai iro. With the color orange, you must add the Japanese word iro (color) after the loanword orenji to specify it’s the color, not the fruit.
The exchange of goods, especially clothes, has prompted Japanese businesses to adopt color words used by English-speaking clients. If you try online shopping in Japanese, you’re sure to find listings of clothes in colors such as nēbī (navy) and bēju (beige).
| Japanese | Romanization | Pronunciation | English |
| オレンジ色 | orenji iro | oh-ren-jee ee-roh | orange |
| ピンク | pinku | peen-koo | pink |
| グレー | gurē | goo-rayy | gray |
| ワインレッド | wain reddo | wah-een reh-ddoh | wine red (dark red) |
| オリーブグリーン | orību gurīn | oh-reee-boo goo-reeen | olive green |
| ネービー | nēbī | nayy-bee | navy |
| ベージュ | bēju | bayy-joo | beige |
Colors in Japanese based on real things
Some color words in English were inspired by things we encounter in everyday life. There’s “orange,” adopted because of the fruit, and more specific colors such as “sky blue” and “olive green.”
Creating a color word for objects is common in Japanese, even among basic colors. Most colors that include the word iro (color) are based on real things. Adding iro allows you to identify that it’s the color rather than the actual item.
With this knowledge of Japanese colors, you can double your vocabulary!
| Color Word | Object | Meaning |
| hai iro = gray | hai | ash |
| cha iro = brown | cha | tea |
| momo iro = pink | momo | peach (fruit) |
| gin iro = silver (color) | gin | silver (metal) |
| kin iro = gold (color) | kin | gold (metal) |
| hada iro = peach skin color | hada | bare skin |
| mizu iro = light blue | mizu | water |
| orenji iro = orange (color) | orenji | orange (fruit) |
Light and dark colors in Japanese
To specify whether a color is light or dark, you only need to add the equivalent word in Japanese.
For instance, to say a particular color is “light,” simply add the word usui (薄い) before your color word. For example, “light purple” is usui murasaki.
And to say a color is “dark,” add the word koi (濃い) instead. For example, “dark gray” is koi gurē.
These aren’t the only situations you use usui and koi. Usui describes something as having less of a particular quality, and koi conveys it has more. It’s very common to use usui and koi to describe Japanese food, where usui describes a light or weak taste, and koi describes a flavorful or strong taste.
How to use Japanese colors in sentences
In English, color words are both nouns and adjectives. For example, if you say “I like green,” grammatically you’re using “green” as a noun. If you say “I like green things,” you’re then using “green” as an adjective. (For more explanation about the differences between nouns and adjectives and how they’re used in Japanese, check out the in-depth guide to Japanese parts of speech.)
When switching between using a color as a noun or an adjective in English, the spelling of the word doesn’t change. However, this isn’t the case with colors in Japanese. The form of a color word reflects specific rules for how to conjugate Japanese nouns and Japanese adjectives.
The noun versions of the colors are included in the previous charts. If you want to say “I like [color],” you’d use the noun version in the sentence pattern “[color] ga suki desu.”
Although typically you’d need to use an adjective to describe something, Japanese can be more ambiguous. You can use the noun version of a color word if that color word comes after the noun you’re trying to describe. For example:
- sora wa ao desu (空は青です) = The sky is blue.
- neko wa orenji iro desu (猫はオレンジ色です) = The cat is orange.
However, the noun versions of color words are mostly limited to these simple statement sentences. To create more complex sentences like “I see an orange cat,” you must put the color word before the target object.
– Japanese with SayakaUsing Japanese colors for descriptions
With Japanese adjectives, it’s always important to note the two categories: i-adjectives and na-adjectives.
Some color words have i-adjective versions. This means an i (い) hiragana is added to the end, allowing them to be conjugated the same way as other i-adjectives. These particular colors should always be changed into their i-adjective versions when using them as adjectives:
| Noun version | I-adjective version | Pronunciation | English |
| aka; 赤 | akai; 赤い | ah-kye | red |
| ao; 青 | aoi; 青い | ah-oh-ee | blue |
| kuro; 黒 | kuroi; 黒い | koo-roy | black |
| shiro; 白 | shiroi; 白い | shee-roy | white |
According to Japanese word order rules, an i-adjective can be placed directly in front of a noun and doesn’t require a particle. You can then make sentences such as these:
- akai shatsu o kaimashita (赤いシャツを買いました) = I bought a red shirt.
- asoko ni kuroi tori ga imasu (あそこに黒い鳥がいます) = There is a black bird over there.
Most colors, however, do not convert into i-adjectives. Funny enough, they’re not na-adjectives either (with the one exception of tōmē—transparent—which is arguably not a color). They are technically still nouns, but ones that can be used similarly to adjectives.
To use color nouns to describe other nouns, you must connect the words with the particle no (の). Among Japanese particles, no is commonly referred to as the “possessive particle.” Instead of possessing something physical, no here indicates possessing the quality of a certain color.
These are some examples using color nouns for descriptions:
- midori no koppu o tsukatte kudasai (緑のコップを使ってください) = Please use the green cup.
- pinku no dōnatsu wa oishisou desu (ピンクのドーナツはおいしそうです) = The pink donut looks delicious.
Some color words have the option of either being converted into i-adjectives or being used as adjective-like nouns, namely ki iro (yellow) and chairo (brown). Consequently, either of these sentences is appropriate:
- ki iroi hana wa kirei desu (黄色い花はきれいです) = The yellow flowers are pretty.
- ki iro no hana wa kirei desu (黄色の花はきれいです) = The yellow flowers are pretty.
However, other words like orenji iro (orange) and kin iro (gold) can’t be changed into i-adjectives despite also ending with iro. For simplicity’s sake, you can memorize the four colors that must be used as i-adjectives and use any other colors as descriptive nouns.
Why is green sometimes blue?
The word for “green” in Japanese is midori, and the word for “blue” is ao.
However, you may be surprised to hear things that clearly look “green” be referred to as “blue!” For example, green apples in Japanese are ao ringo (青りんご), green traffic lights are ao shingō (青信号), and newly grown leaves are aoba (青葉).
The reason for this is rooted in the history of the Japanese language. Originally, the word ao referred to both blue and green shades. It wasn’t until relatively recently that midori was adopted into everyday speech.
Common word pairings sometimes combine to create new words. Since apples most often come in green or red, compound words were created for both (with “red apple” being aka ringo). Once a compound word is created, it’s uncommon for the words to be split again. This is why ao ringo stuck, since it already had a history of use.
Flex your creativity with Japanese!
Learning colors in Japanese is a fascinating practice, with distinct vocabulary, grammar rules, and history leading the way. Just as artists wield color to evoke emotions and communicate unique ideas, language learners can find creative and colorful ways to express themselves in the context of other cultures!
Fortunately, you can start using many cool Japanese words immediately, but if you’d really like to master the language, it helps to have guidance. With Rosetta Stone’s curated lessons and live language tutoring, you’ll soon be able to explore the many facets of Japanese.
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