Japanese word

茶色

Pronunciation

Romajichairo

Meaning

  • nounbrown

Example

このかばんは茶色です。ko no ka ba n wa cha iro de su

This bag is brown.

Illustration for 茶色 (brown)

More examples

わたしのえんぴつは茶色です。wa ta shi no e n pi tsu wa cha iro de su

My pencil is brown.

秋になると、木の葉が茶色に変わります。aki ni na ru to ko no ha ga cha iro ni ka wa ri ma su

In autumn, the leaves turn brown.

Core concept

Refers to a warm, earthy color that lies between red and yellow in darker shades.

Common phrases

  • 茶色の髪cha iro no kami

    brown hair

  • 茶色の目cha iro no me

    brown eyes

  • 茶色の靴cha iro no kutsu

    brown shoes

Similar words

こげ茶kogecha: A dark brown color that resembles roasted coffee.
褐色kasshoku: A formal term for a brown color used in descriptions of colors.
赤茶色akachairo: A brown color with a clear red tone.

Definition in Japanese

茶や土に似た、赤みまたは黄みを帯びた色。cha ya tsuchi ni ni ta aka mi ma ta wa ki mi o o bi ta iro

Word origin

茶色 (chairo) is formed from 茶 (cha, "tea") and 色 (iro, "color"), so its name means the color of tea.

Usage tips

  • In everyday Japanese, 茶色 (chairo) often takes の (no, "of") before a noun, as in 茶色のかばん (chairo no kaban).

Other meanings

  • light brownnoun

Related words

Word lists with this word