How to say “black” in Japanese
Native speakers say “kuro” or “kuroi” to mean ‘black’ in Japanese. The first one is a noun; the second one is an adjective. In this blog post, I will explain these two words and how to use them through example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners to say “black” more confidently in Japanese. Then, let’s get started!
Contents
Definition and meaning of “kuro”
Let me start with the definition and meaning of “kuro”.
- kuro – 黒 (くろ) : a noun meaning ‘black’ in Japanese. So, this is a Japanese word referring to the color of a shadow or such.
The definition and meaning are very simple and clear, I think. Then, let me explain how to use this noun through the example sentence below.
Example #1: how to say “black” in Japanese
watashi no sukina iro wa kuro desu – 私の好きな色は黒です (わたしのすきないろはくろです)
My favorite color is black.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- watashi – 私 (わたし) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese.
- no – の : a case particle used after a noun or pronoun to make its possessive case. In the example, this is used after “watashi” to make its possessive case, “watashi no“, which means ‘my’ in Japanese.
- sukina – 好きな (すきな) : a na-adjective meaning ‘favorite’ in Japanese.
- iro – 色 (いろ) : a noun meaning ‘color’ in Japanese. This can also work as a plural noun meaning ‘colors’. Learn more about Japanese plural.
- wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after “watashi no sukina iro” to make the subject in the sentence.
- desu – です : an auxiliary verb used after a noun or adjective to make it polite. Probably, this is well known as a part of Japanese desu form. In the example, this is used after “kuro” to make it sound polite.
This is a typical usage of “kuro”. When we want to refer to the color of a shadow or such in Japanese, this noun is a very good option.
Definition and meaning of “kuroi”
Next, let me explain the Japanese adjective for ‘black’.
- kuroi – 黒い (くろい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘black’ in Japanese.
In English, the word, “black”, can work as both a noun and an adjective; in Japanese, we need to learn a different word for each part of speech. This fact would be a bit confusing to Japanese learners, especially those who are familiar with English, but this is the Japanese language. “Kuroi” explained here is an i-adjective and can describe something black.
Then, let me explain how to use “kuroi” through the example sentence below.
Example #2: how to describe something black in Japanese
kuroi kage ga nobiru – 黒い影が伸びる (くろいかげがのびる)
A black shadow grows.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- kage – 影 (かげ) : a noun meaning ‘shadow’ or ‘shade’ in Japanese. This can also work as a plural noun.
- ga – が : a case particle used to make the subject word or the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after “kage” to make the subject word in the sentence.
- nobiru – 伸びる (のびる) : a verb meaning ‘to grow’, ‘to get longer’, or such in Japanese.
This is a typical usage of “kuroi”. In the example, this i-adjective works as a modifier to describe “kage”. When we want to describe something black in Japanese, “kuroi” is a very good option. Japanese learners should master this i-adjective together with the noun, “kuro”.
Summary
In this blog post, I’ve explained the two ways to say “black” in Japanese: “kuro” and “kuroi”. And in addition, I’ve explained how to use them through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.
- kuro – 黒 (くろ) : a noun meaning ‘black’ in Japanese. So, this is a Japanese word referring to the color of a shadow or such. When we want to refer to the color of black itself in Japanese, this noun is a very good option.
- kuroi – 黒い (くろい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘black’ in Japanese. When we want to describe something black in Japanese, this i-adjective is a very good option.
Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.
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