How to say “red” in Japanese
Native speakers say “aka” or “akai” to mean ‘red’ 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 “red” in Japanese more confidently. Then, let’s get started!
Contents
Definition and meaning of “aka”
Let me start with the definition and meaning of “aka”.
- aka – 赤 (あか) : a noun meaning ‘red’ in Japanese. So, this is a Japanese word referring to the color of sunrise, sunset, blood, or such.
The definition and meaning are very simple and clear, I think. Next, then, let me explain how to use this noun through the example sentence below.
Example #1: how to say “red” in Japanese
watashi no sukina iro wa aka desu – 私の好きな色は赤です (わたしのすきないろはあかです)
My favorite color is red.
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 works 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 the noun phrase, “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 “aka” to make it sound polite.
This is a typical usage of “aka”. When we want to refer to the color of red itself in Japanese, this noun is a very good option.
Definition and meaning of “akai”
Next, let me explain the Japanese adjective for ‘red’.
- akai – 赤い (あかい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘red’ in Japanese.
In English, the word, “red”, 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, but this is the Japanese language. “Akai” explained here is an i-adjective and can describe something red.
Then, let me explain how to use “akai” through the example sentence below.
Example #2: how to describe something red in Japanese
kyou no taiyou wa akai – 今日の太陽は赤い (きょうのたいようはあかい)
The sun is red today.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- kyou – 今日 (きょう) : a noun meaning ‘today’ in Japanese. This can also work as an adverb to say “today” in Japanese.
- no – の : a case particle used to join two nouns. Normally, the first noun can work as a modifier to describe the second. In the example, this joins “kyou” and “taiyou”. The formed phrase literally means ‘today’s sun’ in Japanese. Word orders in Japanese and English are different, but the role of this case particle is very similar to that of “of” in English. “No” explained in the last example can be considered as one special use case of this.
- taiyou – 太陽 (たいよう) : a noun meaning ‘the sun’ in Japanese.
This is a typical usage of “akai”. In the example, this i-adjective works as a complement in the sentence and describes the color of the sun. When we want to describe something red in Japanese, “akai” is a very good option. Japanese learners should master this i-adjective together with the noun, “aka”.
Summary
In this blog post, I’ve explained the two ways to say “red” in Japanese: “aka” and “akai”. And also, I’ve explained how to use them through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.
- aka – 赤 (あか) : a noun meaning ‘red’ in Japanese. So, this is a Japanese word referring to the color of sunrise, sunset, blood, or such. When we want to refer to the color of red itself in Japanese, this noun is a very good option.
- akai – 赤い (あかい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘red’ in Japanese. When we want to describe something red in Japanese, this i-adjective is a very good option.
Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.
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