How to say "silver" in Japanese

• シルバーCommon
  no-adjectiveThe katakana loanword. It typically refers to the color silver or to silver-colored objects and finishes, and is at home in everyday and commercial contexts; for the metal itself, 銀 is the word.
• 銀ぎんJLPT N3approx.Common
  nounThe word for silver as a substance: the metal and the chemical element Ag. Use it when the material itself is meant, rather than the color — for that, 銀色.
  金きんより銀ぎんの指輪ゆびわの方ほうが好すきです。↗

  I prefer silver rings to gold ones.
• 銀色ぎんいろCommon
  no-adjectiveLiterally 'silver color', this is the direct word for silver as a color. Use it to describe the appearance of things with that pale metallic sheen, rather than the metal itself.
  女王じょおうは華麗かれいな銀色ぎんいろのドレスを着きていた。↗

  The queen was wearing a magnificent silver dress.
• 白銀はくぎんCommon
  nounAn evocative word for silver stressing its bright, white gleam, often used in descriptive writing, as for snow-covered peaks shining like silver. It is not the plain word for the metal; use 銀.

Use 銀 for the metal or element, 銀色 for the color, 「シルバー」 for the color or silver-colored things in everyday and commercial contexts, and 白銀 when evoking a bright, gleaming white silver.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

• シルバーsilver
• 銀ぎんsilver (Ag)
• 銀色ぎんいろsilver (color, colour)
• 白銀はくぎんsilver
• 銀しろがねsilver