Here's a curious fact about Japanese: traffic lights are clearly green, yet Japanese people call them 「青信号」(あおしんごう) — a "blue" signal. Vegetables are obviously green, yet they're called 「青野菜」(あおやさい) — "blue" vegetables.
It turns out that Japanese color kanji follow a classification system quite different from English. Master these 20 color kanji, and you'll not only describe colors — you'll understand how Japanese speakers see the world.
Core Kanji Table
Primary Colors (The Big Six)
| Kanji | On'yomi | Kun'yomi | Meaning | Common Words | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 色 | ショク (shoku)・シキ (shiki) | いろ (iro) | color | 色々 (いろいろ, various), 景色 (けしき, scenery) | 好きな色は何ですか — What's your favorite color? |
| 白 | ハク (haku)・ビャク (byaku) | しろ (shiro)・しら (shira) | white | 白い (しろい, white), 白紙 (はくし, blank paper) | 白い雪が降る — white snow is falling |
| 黒 | コク (koku) | くろ (kuro) | black | 黒い (くろい, black), 黒板 (こくばん, blackboard) | 黒い猫が好き — I like black cats |
| 赤 | セキ (seki)・シャク (shaku) | あか (aka) | red | 赤い (あかい, red), 赤ちゃん (あかちゃん, baby) | 赤い花が咲いた — a red flower bloomed |
| 青 | セイ (sei)・ショウ (shō) | あお (ao) | blue/green | 青い (あおい, blue), 青空 (あおぞら, blue sky) | 青い海が見える — I can see the blue sea |
| 黄 | コウ (kō)・オウ (ō) | き (ki) | yellow | 黄色い (きいろい, yellow), 黄金 (おうごん, gold) | 黄色い花が咲く — yellow flowers are blooming |
Secondary and Common Colors
| Kanji | On'yomi | Kun'yomi | Meaning | Common Words | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 緑 | リョク (ryoku)・ロク (roku) | みどり (midori) | green | 緑色 (みどりいろ, green), 新緑 (しんりょく, fresh greenery) | 緑が多い公園 — a park full of greenery |
| 紫 | シ (shi) | むらさき (murasaki) | purple | 紫色 (むらさきいろ, purple), 紫外線 (しがいせん, UV rays) | 紫の着物が美しい — the purple kimono is beautiful |
| 紅 | コウ (kō)・ク (ku) | べに (beni)・くれない (kurenai) | crimson | 紅葉 (もみじ/こうよう, autumn leaves), 口紅 (くちべに, lipstick) | 秋の紅葉が美しい — autumn foliage is beautiful |
| 茶 | チャ (cha)・サ (sa) | — | brown (tea) | 茶色 (ちゃいろ, brown), 茶色い (ちゃいろい, brown) | 茶色い犬を飼っている — I have a brown dog |
| 灰 | カイ (kai) | はい (hai) | gray (ash) | 灰色 (はいいろ, gray), 灰 (はい, ash) | 灰色の空 — a gray sky |
| 桃 | トウ (tō) | もも (momo) | pink (peach) | 桃色 (ももいろ, pink), 桃 (もも, peach) | 桃色の頬 — rosy cheeks |
| 橙 | トウ (tō)・ダイダイ (daidai) | — | orange | 橙色 (だいだいいろ, orange) | 橙色の夕焼け — an orange sunset |
Traditional and Literary Colors
| Kanji | On'yomi | Kun'yomi | Meaning | Common Words | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 丹 | タン (tan)・ニ (ni) | に (ni) | vermilion | 丹精 (たんせい, devotion), 丹念 (たんねん, meticulous) | 丹精込めて育てる — to raise with great care |
| 朱 | シュ (shu) | あけ (ake) | vermilion-red | 朱色 (しゅいろ, vermilion), 朱肉 (しゅにく, red ink pad) | 朱色の鳥居 — a vermilion torii gate |
| 碧 | ヘキ (heki) | あお (ao)・みどり (midori) | jade-green | 碧玉 (へきぎょく, jasper), 碧眼 (へきがん, blue eyes) | 碧い海 — a jade-green sea |
| 紺 | コン (kon) | — | navy blue | 紺色 (こんいろ, navy), 紺碧 (こんぺき, azure) | 紺色の制服 — a navy-blue uniform |
| 翠 | スイ (sui) | みどり (midori) | emerald-green | 翡翠 (ひすい, jade), 翠緑 (すいりょく, emerald green) | 翡翠の指輪 — a jade ring |
Metallic Colors
| Kanji | On'yomi | Kun'yomi | Meaning | Common Words | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 金 | キン (kin)・コン (kon) | かね (kane)・かな (kana) | gold | 金色 (きんいろ, gold color), お金 (おかね, money) | 金色の髪 — golden hair |
| 銀 | ギン (gin) | しろがね (shirogane) | silver | 銀色 (ぎんいろ, silver), 銀行 (ぎんこう, bank) | 銀色の月 — a silver moon |
Japanese "Blue" (青): Why Blue and Green Overlap
This is probably the most puzzling color question when learning Japanese.
In ancient Japanese, there were only four color words: 白 (しろ, white), 黒 (くろ, black), 赤 (あか, red), and 青 (あお, blue). These four are the only colors in Japanese with native い-adjective forms (白い, 黒い, 赤い, 青い).
Because ancient Japanese had just four colors, 青 had an enormous range — it didn't just mean blue, but also covered green, and even certain shades of gray.
Examples of 青 Meaning "Green" in Modern Japanese
| Japanese | Meaning | Actual Color |
|---|---|---|
| 青信号 (あおしんごう) | green light (traffic) | green |
| 青野菜 (あおやさい) | green vegetables | green |
| 青葉 (あおば) | fresh leaves | green |
| 青空 (あおぞら) | blue sky | blue |
| 青い海 (あおいうみ) | blue sea | blue |
| 青ざめる (あおざめる) | to turn pale | pale/ashen |
So next time you hear a Japanese person say 「信号が青になった」(the light turned "blue"), don't worry — they mean the green light.
A parallel in Chinese: Chinese actually has a similar phenomenon. The "青" in 青菜 (vegetables) is green, while the "青" in 青天 (clear sky) is blue. Modern Chinese simply split "blue" (蓝) and "green" (绿) apart earlier than Japanese did.
Color Adjective Forms: ~い vs. ~の
There's an important grammar point about Japanese color kanji: not every color can become an い-adjective.
Colors with い-Adjective Forms (The Ancient Four)
These four colors can directly take ~い to modify nouns:
| Kanji | い-Adjective | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 白 | 白い (しろい) | 白い雲 — white clouds |
| 黒 | 黒い (くろい) | 黒い髪 — black hair |
| 赤 | 赤い (あかい) | 赤いバラ — a red rose |
| 青 | 青い (あおい) | 青い鳥 — the blue bird |
Special Cases: 黄色い and 茶色い
These two colors require adding 色 before the い ending:
| Kanji | い-Adjective | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 黄 | 黄色い (きいろい) | 黄色い花 — yellow flowers |
| 茶 | 茶色い (ちゃいろい) | 茶色い靴 — brown shoes |
Colors That Only Use ～色の
All other colors must use the ～色の + noun pattern:
- 緑色の木 (みどりいろのき) — a green tree
- 紫色の花 (むらさきいろのはな) — a purple flower
- 金色のリング (きんいろのリング) — a gold ring
- 灰色の壁 (はいいろのかべ) — a gray wall
Memory tip: Only the four ancient colors (白, 黒, 赤, 青) have native い-adjective forms. Every other color became independent too late in the language's history to earn that privilege. 黄色い and 茶色い are a compromise solution.
Practice
Q1. When Japanese people say 「信号が青になった」, what color light actually turned on?
Show answer
Green. Japanese 青 covers both blue and green. The traffic light term 「青信号」refers to the green light. This is because in ancient Japanese color classification, 青 had a far wider range than the modern English word "blue."
Q2. Which of the following colors cannot become an い-adjective (excluding the ～色い form)?
A. 白 B. 赤 C. 緑 D. 青
Show answer
C. 緑. You cannot say 「緑い」— only 「緑色の + noun」. 白い, 赤い, and 青い all exist because they are among the four ancient primary colors with native い-adjective forms.
Q3. 紅葉 has two readings. What are they, and when is each used?
Show answer
もみじ and こうよう. 「もみじ」 usually refers to maple leaves specifically (especially the palmate Japanese maple), and can function as a standalone noun. 「こうよう」 is the on'yomi reading used to describe the general phenomenon of autumn foliage turning red. 「紅葉狩り」(もみじがり) = autumn leaf viewing.
Q4. In 「朱色の鳥居」, what color is 朱? How is it different from 赤?
Show answer
朱 (しゅ) is a warm, orange-tinted red — warmer and more orange than 赤 (あか), which is a pure red. The traditional color of Japanese shrine torii gates is this vermilion, not bright red. The red ink pad used for stamps, 「朱肉」(しゅにく), is also this color.
Q5. Why does 黄色い need 色 to form an い-adjective, while 赤い does not?
Show answer
Because ancient Japanese only had four color words: 白, 黒, 赤, 青. Only these four developed native い-adjectives (白い, 黒い, 赤い, 青い). 黄 became recognized as a distinct color later in the language's history, so it missed the window for getting a native い-adjective form. Adding 色 to make 黄色い was the workaround.
Summary
- 色 (いろ) is the general word for color; ancient Japanese had only four basic colors: 白, 黒, 赤, 青
- Japanese 青 covers both blue and green — that's why the green light is called 「青信号」 and green vegetables are 「青野菜」
- Only the four ancient colors (白, 黒, 赤, 青) have native い-adjective forms; all others use 「～色の」 to modify nouns
- 丹, 朱, 碧, 紺, 翠 are traditional and literary color names, frequently appearing in classical literature, shrine architecture, and kimono descriptions
- 金 (きん) and 銀 (ぎん) are both colors and metals — 銀行 (ぎんこう, bank) literally means "silver warehouse"
- Next up: Light & Shadow — kanji for brightness and darkness