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English to Japanese Color Words

If you want to learn the English translations for popular Japanese color words, this is definitely the page for you! Below you will find 53 Japanese color words translated from it's English meaning. Where known, we've also added the related kanji, katakana, or hiragana readings.

First up are the translations for some basic color words like color, colorful, and rainbow, then you'll find the list of basic Japanese color words, followed by the list of descriptive Japanese color words. Finally, toward the bottom of the page, you'll find some sample sentences featuring color words to help you better use the words in everyday Japanese conversation.

Scroll down to read the full list or use the quick links below to skip to the section of your choosing.

Color Words from English to Japanese:

Words in bold added during the last update. You can also view these color names from Japanese to English.


English to Japanese Color-Related Words

These words are all color-related, but not actually colors. Please note that we are working on adding kanji, hiragana, and katakana to the translations, but this is still a work in progress.

Color ➔ Karaa ➔ カラー

Colors ➔ Iro ➔ いろ

Colorful ➔ Karafuru

Neon ➔ Neon ➔ ネオン

Rainbow ➔ Nijiiro


Basic Colors from English to Japanese

Here are the more basic colors you are likely to run into during a Japanese conversation.

Black ➔ Kuro/Kuroi ➔ クロ

Blue ➔ Ao/Aoi ➔

Brown ➔ Chairo

Gold ➔ Kin'iro

Green ➔ Midori

Grey ➔ Haiiro

Ivory ➔ Zougeiro

Orange ➔ Daidaiiro

Orange ➔ Orenji

Peach ➔ Momoiro

Purple ➔ Murasaki

Red ➔ Aka/Akai ➔ アカ

Silver ➔ Gin'iro

White ➔ Shiro/Shiroi ➔ シロ

Yellow ➔ Kiiro


English to Japanese Descriptive Colors

If you are in need of more descriptive Japanese colors, then this is the list for you.

Dark purple ➔ Komurasaki

Dark red ➔ Ankoushoku

Deep blue ➔ Koniro

Deep purple ➔ Kokimurasaki

Egg yellow color ➔ Tamagoiro

Jet black ➔ Murebairo

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

Light blue ➔ Mizuiro

Light brown ➔ Kitsuneiro

Light green ➔ Asamidori

Light green ➔ Kimidori

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

Light pink ➔ Taikou

Light red ➔ Senkou

Light yellow ➔ Kuwairo

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

Navy blue ➔ Konshou

Pitch black ➔ Makkuro

Prussian blue ➔ Konjouiro

Royal blue ➔ Roiyaruburuu ➔ ロイヤルブルー

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

Sky blue ➔ Sorairo

Yellowy brown ➔ Kuchibairo


Color-Related Sentences from English to Japanese

And here are some example color-related sentences or short phrases that include a color word.

Blue sky ➔ Aoi sora

Clear blue sky ➔ Sunda aoi sora

Neon sign ➔ Neonsain ➔ ネオンサイン

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

The apple is red. ➔ Ringo wa akai desu.

The fish is red. ➔ Sakana wa akai desu.

The sky is blue. ➔ Sora wa aoi desu.

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

What color is it? ➔ Nani-iro desu ka?

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


This list of English to Japanese color words was last updated on April 30, 2025.



Next Up

Japanese Zodiac Signs: 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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