Iro is the Japanese word for ‘color’, explained

What does “iro” mean in Japanese?

Native speakers say “iro” to mean ‘color’ in Japanese. Probably, many Japanese learners know this word as it is often used in Japanese movies, songs, novels, manga, anime, and the like. In this blog post, however, I will explain its definition, meaning, and usages through example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners to understand “iro” more clearly. Then, let’s get started!

Contents

• Definition and meaning of “iro”
  • Example #1: how to say “color” in Japanese
  • Example #2: another usage of “iro”
• Summary

Definition and meaning of “iro”

Let me start with the definition and meaning of “iro”.

• iro – 色 (いろ) : a noun meaning ‘color’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Learn more about Japanese plural.

Native speakers normally use this noun to refer to a particular light which something delivers to our eyes by means of the physical phenomenon – reflection. In addition, they sometimes use this as a metaphor for a character of someone or something.

The definition and meaning are very simple and clear, I think. Then, let me explain how to use this noun through the example sentences below.

Example #1: how to say “color” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• boku – 僕 (ぼく) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese. This is used mainly by boys and young males.
• wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after “boku” to make the subject in the sentence.
• umi – 海 (うみ) : a noun meaning ‘ocean’ or ‘sea’ in Japanese.
• no – の : a case particle used to join two nouns. Normally, the first one can work as a modifier to describe the second. In the example, this is used to join “umi” and “iro”. The formed phrase literally means ‘the color of the ocean’ in Japanese. Word orders in Japanese and English are different, but the role of this case particle is similar to that of the English preposition, “of”.
• 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 “umi no iro” to make the object in the sentence.
• suki – 好き (すき) : one conjugation of the na-adjective, “sukina”, which means ‘favorite’ in Japanese. Native speakers, however, often use this as an individual word to mean ‘to like’ or ‘to love’ in Japanese.
• desu – です : an auxiliary verb used after a noun or adjective to make it polite. In the example, this is used after “suki” to make it sound polite.

This is a typical usage of “iro”. In this example, it works as a part of the noun phrase, “umi no iro”, which means ‘the color of the ocean’ in Japanese. When we want to refer to the color of something in Japanese, “no iro” is a very good option like this.

Example #2: another usage of “iro”

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• sono – その : a determiner used before a noun referring to a thing not close to the speaker. This is often translated into English as ‘that’, ‘it’, or its possessive. In the example, this is used before “iro” to say “its color” in Japanese.
• koi – 濃い (こい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘thick’, ‘deep’, or such in Japanese.
• ao – 青 (あお) : a noun meaning ‘blue’ in Japanese.

This is another typical usage of “iro”. In this example, it works together with the determiner, “sono”, to say “its color” in Japanese. When we want to say “color” or “colors” in Japanese, anyway, this noun is a very good option.

Summary

In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meaning of “iro” and its usages through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.

• iro – 色 (いろ) : a noun meaning ‘color’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Native speakers normally use this noun to refer to a particular light which something delivers to our eyes by means of the physical phenomenon – reflection. In addition, they sometimes use this as a metaphor for a character of someone or something.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.