Japanese word

黒っぽい

Pronunciation

Romajikuroppoi

Meaning

  • i-adjectiveblackish

Example

この服は黒っぽいです。ko no fuku wa kuro ppo i de su

This outfit is blackish.

Illustration for 黒っぽい (blackish)

More examples

雨の前は、空が黒っぽくなります。ame no mae wa sora ga kuro ppo ku na ri ma su

The sky often looks blackish before it rains.

Core concept

Describes a color that leans toward black while retaining some other shade.

Common phrases

  • 黒っぽい雲kuro ppo i kumo

    blackish clouds

  • 黒っぽい影kuro ppo i kage

    blackish shadow

  • 黒っぽい服kuro ppo i fuku

    blackish clothes

Similar words

黒いkuroi: Describes a color that appears simply black without another noticeable hue.
暗いkurai: Describes a color that is deep or lacking in brightness, even when it is not black.

Definition in Japanese

黒に近い色で、やや黒みを感じさせるさま。kuro ni chika i iro de ya ya kuro mi o kan ji sa se ru sa ma

Word origin

黒っぽい (kuroppoi) is formed from 黒 (kuro, "black") and the suffix っぽい (ppoi, "-ish" or "tending to be"), which expresses an approximate quality.

Usage tips

  • In conversation, 黒っぽい (kuroppoi) often describes clothing, hair, or objects whose color is not fully black, while "dark" can cover many hues.

Other meanings

  • darki-adjective

Opposites

  • 白っぽいshiroppoiwhitishi-adjective

Related words

  • 黒っぽさkuropposablackishnessnoun

Word lists with this word