色合い・色合|いろあいiroai[0]heiban (flat)
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- nouncolouring; coloring; shade (of colour); hue; tone; tinge; tint
- nounflavour; nuance; feel; sense; look
- Synonym色彩しきさいNeutralColour itself, and figuratively a leaning or character, as in 「政治的色彩」; reads as more written than 「色合い」.
- Synonym色調しきちょうWrittenWritten/formal term for how light, dark, deep or pale a colour is; leans technical. 「色合い」 is the everyday choice and can also suggest style or flavour.
- Synonym彩りいろどりNeutralAbout combining and adding colour — a colour scheme or garnish — rather than a shade itself; figuratively it adds sparkle, as in 「食卓に彩りを添える」.
- Synonym色いろNeutralThe most basic word for colour, also covering complexion and expression. 「色合い」 focuses on the tone or feel of a colour.
- SynonymカラーNeutralLoanword for colour, also for distinctive character or style, as in 「チームカラー」, and for dyeing hair.
- SynonymトーンNeutralLoanword overlapping 「色合い」 in the tone of a colour, but it also covers tone of voice and an overall keynote, as in 「トーンダウン」.
- Synonym色相しきそうWrittenWritten term from art and colour science for the kind of colour — red, yellow, blue and the like. More specialised than 「色合い」.
- Related彩色さいしきWrittenWritten/formal word for the act of colouring something in, as in 「彩色画」. It names an action, not a shade, so it cannot replace 「色合い」.
- Related色艶いろつやNeutralColour plus sheen, mostly for skin and complexion, as in 「顔の色艶」; the emphasis falls on the sheen.
- Antonym無色むしょくNeutralThe opposite of 「色合い」: no colour at all, or figuratively a neutral, unbiased stance, where the headword implies a definite tone.
Use 「色合い」 for the everyday tone or feel of a colour. For technical light-dark tone use 「色調」, in art or colour science 「色相」. 「色彩」 fits written, figurative talk of colour; 「彩り」 is colour schemes and garnish; 「色艶」 is colour with sheen, mostly of skin. Plain colour is 「色」 or 「カラー」; 「トーン」 is tone or keynote. 「彩色」 is colouring in; 「無色」 is the opposite — colourless or neutral.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only


