- Basic colours: あか red, あお blue, しろ white, くろ black, きいろ yellow, みどり green.
- Six colours can be い-adjectives: あかい, あおい, しろい, くろい, きいろい, ちゃいろい.
- Other colours need の before a noun: みどりのかさ (a green umbrella).
- あお traditionally covers blue and green, which is why the green traffic light is called 青信号 (blue signal).
The basic colours
The word for colour is いろ (色, iro). Tap to hear each one:
- あかakared · 赤
- あおaoblue · 青
- きいろkiiroyellow · 黄色
- みどりmidorigreen · 緑
- しろshirowhite · 白
- くろkuroblack · 黒
- ちゃいろchairobrown · 茶色Literally “tea colour”.
- むらさきmurasakipurple · 紫
- はいいろhaiirogrey · 灰色Literally “ash colour”. グレー (gurē) is also common.
- ピンクpinkupink
- オレンジorenjiorange
- きんいろkin’irogold · 金色
- ぎんいろgin’irosilver · 銀色
Notice that pink and orange are written in katakana: they are loanwords from English.
Colours in sentences: two patterns
Here’s the one grammar point you need. Six colours are い-adjectives, so they can go directly before a noun or at the end of a sentence with an い ending:
| Noun | Adjective | Example |
|---|---|---|
| あか | あかい akai | あかいりんご a red apple |
| あお | あおい aoi | あおいそら the blue sky |
| しろ | しろい shiroi | しろいねこ a white cat |
| くろ | くろい kuroi | くろいくるま a black car |
| きいろ | きいろい kiiroi | きいろいはな a yellow flower |
| ちゃいろ | ちゃいろい chairoi | ちゃいろいかばん a brown bag |
All other colours are nouns only, so you connect them with の:
- みどりのかさmidori no kasaa green umbrella
- ピンクのシャツpinku no shatsua pink shirt
- むらさきのはなmurasaki no hanaa purple flower
Why the green light is “blue”
In older Japanese, あお described a range from blue to green. The word みどり for green came into common use later. Traces of the old meaning are everywhere today:
- The green traffic light is あおしんごう (ao shingō), “blue signal”. Japan even adjusted its traffic lights to a bluish shade of green to match the word.
- Fresh, green vegetables are あおもの (aomono), “blue things”.
- Young, unripe apples are あおりんご, and inexperienced people are sometimes called “blue”, just like “green” in English.
Colours and their meanings in Japan
- Red and white (紅白, kōhaku) together mean celebration, as on the Japanese flag and at festivals. The big New Year’s Eve music show is called Kōhaku Uta Gassen.
- White stands for purity, and is traditional for weddings, but also appears at funerals.
- Black is the colour of formal wear, especially mourning clothes.
- Purple was historically the colour of nobility and high rank.
Asking about colours
- なにいろですかnani iro desu kaWhat colour is it?
- なにいろがすきですかnani iro ga suki desu kaWhat’s your favourite colour?
- あおがすきですao ga suki desuI like blue.
- ほかのいろはありますかhoka no iro wa arimasu kaDo you have it in another colour?Very useful when shopping.
How do you say a white cat?
How do you say a green umbrella?
The green traffic light is called…
Frequently asked questions
What are the colors in Japanese?
Red is aka (赤), blue ao (青), yellow kiiro (黄色), green midori (緑), white shiro (白), black kuro (黒), brown chairo (茶色), purple murasaki (紫), grey haiiro (灰色), pink pinku and orange orenji.
Why do Japanese call green traffic lights blue?
In older Japanese, ao covered both blue and green. The name aoshingō (blue signal) stuck, and Japan later made its traffic lights a bluish green.
How do you say red in Japanese?
Red is aka (赤). As an adjective before a noun, it becomes akai: akai ringo means a red apple.
Which Japanese colors are adjectives?
Six colours have い-adjective forms: akai (red), aoi (blue), shiroi (white), kuroi (black), kiiroi (yellow) and chairoi (brown). Others use の, such as midori no (green).