音色・音いろ|ねいろneiro[0]heiban (flat)

JLPT N1approx.Common
おんしょくonshoku[0]heiban (flat)
Which spelling to use
音色音色 is the most common written form and the recommended default for beginners. Use it when choosing between the two written forms.
音いろ音いろ is a less common alternative written with kanji and kana. You may encounter it as another written form, but it is not the first choice for beginners.
Definitions
  1. nountone color; tone colour; tone quality; timbre
    このギターは音色ねいろがあっている。↗
    The guitar is in tune.
Synonyms & antonyms
  • Synonym音質おんしつNeutralThe quality of a sound, good or bad — recordings, equipment, instruments, voices; 「音質が悪い」. 「音色」 is each sound's distinctive color, not its quality.
  • SynonymトーンNeutralLoanword for tone, intonation, or color and style; 「音色」 is about the characteristic quality of a sound itself.
  • Related調子ちょうしNeutralTune, rhythm, or a person's condition and manner; 「音色」 is about the quality of the sound itself.
  • Related響きひびきNeutralEcho, lingering resonance, or the emotional pull of a sound; 「音色」 is about its distinctive timbral character.
  • Related音調おんちょうWrittenA written, formal word for tune, intonation, or melody; 「音色」 is about the distinctive color of a sound.

Use 「音色」 for the distinctive color of an instrument or voice, as in 「ピアノの音色」. For sound quality say 「音質」, for resonance and lingering sound 「響き」, and for tone or intonation 「トーン」 or 「音調」.

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

Japanese definitions
  1. 同おなじ波長はちょうの音おとで、聞きく際さいにできる音おとの特性とくせい、音おとの聞きこえ方かたのこと。音響学おんきょうがく的てきには、音おとの波形はけいの差異さい。
Kanji in this word

JLPT vocabulary levels are community estimates, not official (no official lists have been published since the 2010 revision).

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