Japanese word

色

Pronunciation

Romajiiro

Meaning

  • nouncolor

Example

これは何の色ですか？ko re wa nan no iro de su ka

What color is this?

Illustration for 色 (color)

More examples

わたしは青い色が好きです。wa ta shi wa ao i iro ga su ki de su

I like the color blue.

この服は色が明るいです。ko no fuku wa iro ga aka ru i de su

The color of this garment is bright.

Core concept

Describes the way light from an object appears to the eye, such as red or blue.

Common phrases

  • 好きな色su ki na iro

    favorite color

  • 色が濃いiro ga ko i

    be dark in color

  • 色を選ぶiro o era bu

    choose a color

Similar words

色合いiroai: The particular shade or mixture of colors that gives something its visual appearance.
カラーkarā: A color used to describe an object, design, or style.

Definition in Japanese

物や光などが目に与える、赤や青などの見え方の違い。mono ya hikari na do ga me ni ata e ru aka ya ao na do no mi e kata no chiga i

Word origin

色 (iro) is a native Japanese word recorded in Old Japanese, while the character 色 (shoku, "color") was later used to write it; the word's deeper origin is uncertain.

Usage tips

  • In everyday Japanese, 色 (iro) often appears in 何色 (naniiro, "what color"), a compact pattern for asking about an object's color.

Related words

Word lists with this word