赤い・紅い・朱い|あかいakai[0]heiban (flat)
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Which spelling to use
赤い赤い is the most common written form; learners should choose it when writing the adjective 赤い.
紅い紅い is less common than 赤い and is another kanji-and-kana spelling; learners may recognize it in writing without choosing it by default.
朱い朱い is rarely used, despite being a kanji-and-kana spelling of 赤い; learners will seldom need to produce it.
Definitions
- i-adjectivered; crimson; scarlet; vermilionesp. 紅い for scarlet, 朱い for vermilion
- i-adjectiveRed; communist
Conjugation
| Plain form | 赤い（あかい） |
|---|---|
| Polite (desu) | 赤いです（あかいです） |
| Negative (kunai) | 赤くない（あかくない） |
| polite (ku arimasen) | 赤くありません（あかくありません） |
| Past (katta) | 赤かった（あかかった） |
| Past negative (kunakatta) | 赤くなかった（あかくなかった） |
| Te form (kute) | 赤くて（あかくて） |
| Adverbial (ku) | 赤く（あかく） |
| Conditional (kereba) | 赤ければ（あかければ） |
| kattara | 赤かったら（あかかったら） |
Common forms generated by rule; see the senses for honorific or irregular usage.
Synonyms & antonyms
- Synonym真っ赤まっかCasualColloquial. Covers deep, bright red and also downright, utter, as in 「真っ赤な嘘」; stronger than 「赤い」.
- Related真赤まあかWrittenWritten/formal prose: read 「まあか」, it means pure, bright red and is rare in modern usage; the same spelling can also be read 「まっか」.
Use 「赤い」 as the default word for red. Use 「真っ赤」 to stress that something is completely red; 「真っ赤な嘘」 is a downright lie. 「真赤」 read 「まあか」 is a rare written variant.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese definitions
Kanji in this word
English equivalents
