How to say "green" in Japanese
Choosing the right word
- 緑みどりno-adjectiveThe basic word for the colour green, used for green things of all kinds — plants, landscapes, objects. When you want to say something is green, this is usually the word.
- no-adjectiveThe loanword for the colour green, largely interchangeable with 緑; it is especially at home in fashion, design and product descriptions.
- 緑色みどりいろno-adjectiveLiterally 'green colour'; use it when naming the colour explicitly, as when answering a question about what colour something is, or when you want the colour word to stand clearly on its own.
- 未熟みじゅくna-adjective, nounNot a colour word at all: it matches English 'green' only in the sense of unripe fruit or an inexperienced, immature person. Never use it for the colour green.
- 青あおno-adjectivePrimarily the word for blue, but it also covers green in established uses — traffic lights, unripe fruit, lush vegetation — where Japanese counts green as a kind of blue. For the colour itself, use 緑.
For the colour itself use 緑 (or 緑色 when naming the colour explicitly); 「グリーン」 is the loanword alternative; 青 covers green only in certain established uses, and 未熟 means unripe or immature, never the colour.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese equivalents
- 緑みどりgreen
- グリーンgreen (colour)
- 緑色みどりいろgreen
- 未熟みじゅくunripe
- うぶinexperienced (in life experience)
- 乳臭いちちくさいgreen
- 碧色へきしょくgreen
- 翠緑すいりょくgreen (esp. of trees, rocks, etc.)
- 翠色すいしょくgreen (of lush vegetation)
- 青臭いあおくさいinexperienced
- くちばしが黄色いくちばしがきいろいfledgling
- おぼこいchildish
- なまっちょろいhalf-hearted
- 青あおgreen
- 青いあおいgreen
- 若いわかいimmature
- 半人前はんにんまえinexperienced
- 青っぽいあおっぽいimmature
- 生なまinexperienced
See also
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