Japanese: Colours
My colours chart, with the basic colour words below. The four oldest colours (red, blue, white, black) are also -i adjectives and go straight before a noun: akai kuruma (赤い車), a red car.
| Japanese | Romaji | English | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 赤 / 赤い | aka / akai | red | akai ringo a red apple |
| 青 / 青い | ao / aoi | blue (traditionally also green) | aoi sora the blue sky |
| 白 / 白い | shiro / shiroi | white | shiroi neko a white cat |
| 黒 / 黒い | kuro / kuroi | black | kuroi kutsu black shoes |
| 黄色 / 黄色い | kiiro / kiiroi | yellow | kiiroi hana a yellow flower |
| 茶色 | chairo | brown (lit. “tea colour”) | chairo no kaban a brown bag |
| 緑 | midori | green | midori no ha green leaves |
| 紫 | murasaki | purple | murasaki no fuku purple clothes |
| ピンク | pinku | pink | pinku no T-shatsu a pink T-shirt |
| オレンジ | orenji | orange | orenji no bōshi an orange hat |
| 灰色 | haiiro | grey (lit. “ash colour”) | haiiro no kumo grey clouds |
Colours that aren’t -i adjectives take no: midori no ha.