Japanese uses native words (和語) for most basic colors. Many also have an adjective form ending in い that works directly before nouns — e.g. 赤い車 (akai kuruma) — a red car. Click any word to hear it.
Basic Colors 基本の色
| Japanese | Reading | Romaji | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| 赤 | あか | aka | Red |
| 青 | あお | ao | Blue / Blue-green |
| 黄色 | きいろ | kiiro | Yellow |
| 緑 | みどり | midori | Green |
| 白 | しろ | shiro | White |
| 黒 | くろ | kuro | Black |
| 紫 | むらさき | murasaki | Purple |
| 茶色 | ちゃいろ | chairo | Brown |
| 灰色 | はいいろ | haiiro | Grey |
| 桃色 | ももいろ | momoiro | Pink (lit. peach colour) |
| 橙色 | だいだいいろ | daidaiiro | Orange |
| 金色 | きんいろ | kin'iro | Gold |
| 銀色 | ぎんいろ | gin'iro | Silver |
Loanword Colors 外来語
Some colors use borrowed English words written in katakana — common in fashion and design.
| Japanese | Romaji | English |
|---|---|---|
| ピンク | pinku | Pink |
| オレンジ | orenji | Orange |
| グレー | gurē | Grey |
| ベージュ | bēju | Beige |
| ネイビー | neibī | Navy |
| クリーム | kurīmu | Cream |
Adjective Forms い形容詞
Add い to make a color work directly before a noun (not all colors have this form).
| Adjective | Reading | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 赤い | あかい / akai | 赤い車 | Red car |
| 青い | あおい / aoi | 青い空 | Blue sky |
| 黄色い | きいろい / kiiroi | 黄色い花 | Yellow flower |
| 白い | しろい / shiroi | 白い雪 | White snow |
| 黒い | くろい / kuroi | 黒い猫 | Black cat |
| 茶色い | ちゃいろい / chairoi | 茶色い犬 | Brown dog |
Tip: 青 (ao) traditionally covers both blue and green. Traffic lights in Japan are called 青信号 even though they appear green — a quirk of history!