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Japanese Portal
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Japanese Portal
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Japanese Color Names

If you need to learn your Japanese colors, then this is the page for you! Here you'll find 53 Japanese color translations to help you describe the colors of whatever it is you happen to be talking about. We've also started adding some kanji, hiragana, and katakana to these lists for a more well-rounded understanding of all the Japanese writing systems.

Anyway, this page includes a list of basic Japanese color words, plus lists for standard and expressive Japanese color names. You'll also find some color related sample sentences to help you see the words in action - all translated from Japanese to English. Scroll down to view our full list or use our quick links below to skip to any section.

Just as a side note, did you know Japan's National Colors are Red and White? These two colors make up the Japanese Flag (often referred to as the Hinomaru, meaning ball of the sun) which features a red circle on a white background. That said, on to the color names. Enjoy~

Color Names in Japanese:

Words in Bold added during our last update. You can also view these lists of color words from English to Japanese.


Color-Related Words in Japanese

Iro ➔ いろ ➔ Colors

Karaa ➔ カラー ➔ Color

Karafuru ➔ Colorful

Nijiiro ➔ Rainbow


Japanese Colors List A-Z

Ao/Aoi ➔ ➔ Blue

Aka/Akai ➔ アカ ➔ Red

Chairo ➔ Brown

Daidaiiro ➔ Orange

Gin'iro ➔ Silver

Haiiro ➔ Grey

Kiiro ➔ Yellow

Kin'iro ➔ Gold

Kuro/Kuroi ➔ クロ ➔ Black

Midori ➔ Green

Momoiro ➔ Peach

Murasaki ➔ Purple

Orenji ➔ Orange

Pinku ➔ Pink

Shiro/Shiroi ➔ シロ ➔ White

Zougeiro ➔ Ivory


Expressive Colors in Japanese

Ankoushoku ➔ Dark red

Asamidori ➔ Light green

Kimidori ➔ Light green

Kitsuneiro ➔ Light brown

Kokimurasaki ➔ Deep purple

Komurasaki ➔ Dark purple

Koniro ➔ Deep blue

Konjouiro ➔ Prussian blue

Konshou ➔ Navy blue

Kuchibairo ➔ Yellowy brown

Kuwairo ➔ Light yellow

Makkuro ➔ Pitch black

Middonaitoburuu ➔ ミッドナイトブルー ➔ Midnight blue

Mizuiro ➔ Light Blue

Moegi ➔ 萌黄 ➔ もえぎ ➔ Light green (a bright yellow-green color)

Murebairo ➔ Jet black

Remoniro ➔ レモン色 ➔ れもんいろ ➔ Lemon yellow

Roiyaruburuu ➔ ロイヤルブルー ➔ Royal blue

Senkou ➔ Light red

Shinbashi-iro ➔ 新橋色 ➔ しんばしいろ ➔ Shinbashi color (bright blue with a slight green tint)

Sorairo ➔ Sky blue

Taikou ➔ Light pink

Tamagoiro ➔ Egg yellow color


Japanese Color Related Sentences

Aoi sora ➔ Blue sky

Kochira wa shiroi shatsu desu. ➔ This is a white shirt.

Nani-iro desu ka? ➔ What color is it?

Neonsain ➔ ネオンサイン ➔ Neon sign

Ringo wa akai desu. ➔ The apple is red.

Sakana wa akai desu. ➔ The fish is red.

Sora wa aoi desu. ➔ The sky is blue.

Sukina iro wa nan desu ka? ➔ What is your favorite color?

Sunda aoi sora ➔ Clear blue sky

(Unmei no) akai ito ➔ Red thread (of fate)


This Japanese colors list was last updated on April 29, 2025.



Next Up

Zodiac Signs in Japanese: Learn how to say astrological signs in Japanese.

Perhaps you want to learn color words in these other languages?

Burmese, Filipino, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hawaiian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Romanian, Spanish, and Urdu.


The Fine Print

I don't speak Japanese myself, so there could be mistakes in the translations. Most of what is here is user-submitted, but I do try to check for accuracy and make corrections as I can. Thanks for your understanding. Best of luck on your Japanese language learning journey!



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