How to say "color" in Japanese
Choosing the right word
- nounThe loanword from English, at home in technical and commercial language such as printing, photography or fashion. For colour in everyday speech, the native word 色 is what you want.
- 色いろnounThe everyday word for the colour of things, also covering hue and tint; the default choice when naming, asking about or describing a colour.
- 染めるそめるichidan verb, transitive verbA verb for colouring by dyeing — immersing cloth or hair in dye so that it takes the colour — rather than a general verb for applying colour.
- 色彩しきさいnounColour as a quality or phenomenon — hue and tints — rather than a name for one particular colour; typical of discussion of art, design and appearance.
- 彩るいろどるgodan verb, transitive verbA verb for giving colour to something as decoration or embellishment; also used figuratively of things that add colour — liveliness, variety — to an event or experience.
For the noun, use 色 in everyday speech, 「カラー」 in technical or commercial loanword contexts, and 色彩 for colour as an aesthetic quality; for the verb, 「染める」 means to dye while 「彩る」 means to add colour decoratively.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese equivalents
See also
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