How to describe color in Japanese?

Japanese has six basic color words, each of which can be used as an adjective (e.g. “a red dress”) or a noun (e.g. “the red of the dress”).

Other color words in Japanese are either derived from these terms, like 真っ赤な (transcribed makkana, meaning “bright red”), borrowed from other languages, like ピンク (transcribed pinku, meaning “pink”), or from the color of real-world things, like 空色 (transcribed sorairo, meaning “sky-colored”).

In this post, we’ll talk about the grammar of color descriptions in Japanese: how to describe the color of things, how to form words like “ash-colored” that come from real-world objects, and when you should use a color adjective vs. a color noun. Ready to have a look? Let’s get started!

The most common way to describe the color of something in Japanese is to use a color noun + の (transcribed no).

The particle の (transcribed no) is broadly used in Japanese any time you connect two nouns. The noun before の (transcribed no) adds information about the second noun. So you only need to add の (transcribed no) if the color noun comes before another noun. If it’s at the end of a sentence, の (transcribed no) isn’t required.

In Japanese, you can add the word 色 (transcribed iro, meaning “color”) to certain nouns to create color descriptions like “sky-color” (=sky blue) or “ash-color” (=gray).

Remember, these are color nouns, so you’ll still need to add の (transcribed no) when they’re used before another noun. But don’t forget 色 (transcribed iro)! Without this, the interpretation will be quite different:

Certain color descriptions that use 色 are very common, to the point that you’d think of them as the “standard description” of a certain color. Check out our Japanese color activities to discover the most common ways to use 色 to describe color!

We saw at the top of this post that the basic color words have adjective forms and noun forms. Most often you’ll use the noun form + の (transcribed no), but when should you use the adjective form? You’ll want to follow these basic guidelines:

• You’ll use the i-adjective form to describe the color of something that is intrinsic or essential to the thing.

• You’ll use the color noun + の (transcribed no) when the thing you’re describing comes in a range of colors, and you’re picking out only those in a particular color.

What does this mean for your color descriptions?

1. You’ll usually mention the color of things that are always one color using an i-adjective. For example:

   赤いバラ

   Transcription: akai bara

   Translation: red roses

   白い雲

   Transcription: shiroi kumo

   Translation: a white cloud

   青い空

   Transcription: aoi sora

   Translation: blue sky

   It would sound strange or even wrong to use color noun + の in sentences like these:

   庭に赤いバラが咲いた。

   Transcription: Niwa ni akai bara ga saita.

   Translation: Red roses are in bloom in our garden.

   青い空に白い雲が浮かんでいる。

   Transcription: Aoi sora ni shiroi kumo ga ukande iru.

   Translation: There are some white clouds floating in the blue sky.

2. For things that come in a range of colors, both the i-adjective and color noun + の are possible:

   color adjective + noun	color noun + の + noun
   赤いシャツ Transcription: akai shatsu Translation: red shirt	赤のシャツ Transcription: aka no shatsu Translation: red shirt
   黄色いカード Transcription: ki’iroi kādo Translation: yellow card	黄色のカード Transcription: ki’iro no kādo Translation: yellow card
   黒い車 Transcription: kuroi kuruma Translation: black car	黒の車 Transcription: kuro no kuruma Translation: black car

However, sometimes one or the other will sound more natural, since they carry different implications about how “essential” the color is to the thing you’re describing. Let’s have a look at a couple of conversations to illustrate these differences:

• Conversation 1: Describing one particular thing.

  i-adjective

  Speaker A:

  どんな車に乗ってるの?

  Transcription: Don’na kuruma ni notteru no?

  Translation: What kind of car do you drive?

  Speaker B:

  黒いスポーツカー。

  Transcription: Kuroi supōtsukā.

  Translation: (I drive) a black sports car.

  Speaker B has only one car. Cars may come in a range of colors, but this speaker has only one particular car, which is essential to it.

• Conversation 2: Using the color to select one from many.

  color nounの [no]

  Speaker A:

  今日はどの車で来たの？

  Transcription: Kyō wa dono kuruma de kita no?

  Translation: In which car did you come today?　

  Speaker B:

  黒のスポーツカー。

  Transcription: Kuro no supōtsukā.

  Translation: (I came in) the black sports car.

  Here, speaker B has multiple cars in different colors. Speaker B is using the color to call out one of many color options.

  In this second dialogue, the i-adjective is also possible, as in, 黒いスポーツカー (transcribed kuroi supōtsukā), but 黒の (transcribed kuro no) sounds more natural.

These distinctions, of course, only matter when the color has an adjective form. Since we don’t have an adjective form for “gray” or “orange” in Japanese, for example, we describe a cloudy sky as 灰色の空 (transcribed hai’iro no sora, meaning “gray sky”) or an evening glow as オレンジ色の空 (transcribed orenji’iro no sora, meaning “orange sky”) and they sound perfectly natural!

Here’s what you should remember about Japanese color descriptions:

• The six essential color words can come in two forms: an i-adjective form and a color noun.

• Most other Japanese color words are just nouns, often formed using a common noun + 色 (transcribed iro, meaning “color”), though.

• Most color descriptions follow the pattern color noun + の (transcribed no) + noun, though you will sometimes use adjectives for colors, which follow the typical grammar for adjectives.

• If your color has an i-adjective form, you should use that instead when you’re describing the inherent or essential color of something.

Ready to practice? Have a look at our Japanese color activity sheets to test your skills! Happy learning!