How to say “white” in Japanese
Native speakers say “shiro” or “shiroi” to mean ‘white’ 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 “white” more confidently in Japanese. Then, let’s get started!
Contents
Definition and meaning of “shiro”
Let me start with the definition and meaning of “shiro”.
- shiro – 白 (しろ) : a noun meaning ‘white’ in Japanese. So, this is a Japanese word referring to the color of snow 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 “white” in Japanese
kanojo no sukina iro wa shiro desu – 彼女の好きな色は白です (かのじょのすきないろはしろです)
Her favorite color is white.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- kanojo – 彼女 (かのじょ) : a pronoun meaning ‘she’ 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 “kanojo” to make its possessive case, “kanojo no”, which means ‘her’ 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 “kanojo 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 “shiro” to make it sound polite.
This is a typical usage of “shiro”. When we want to refer to the color of white itself in Japanese, this noun is a very good option.
Definition and meaning of “shiroi”
Next, let me explain the Japanese adjective for ‘white’.
- shiroi – 白い (しろい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘white’ in Japanese.
In English, the word, “white”, 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. “Shiroi” explained here is an i-adjective and can describe something white.
Then, let me explain how to use “shiroi” through the example sentence below.
Example #2: how to describe something white in Japanese
watashi wa shiroi hikari wo mi ta – 私は白い光を見た (わたしはしろいひかりをみた)
I saw a white light.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- watashi – 私 (わたし) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese.
- hikari – 光 (ひかり) : a noun meaning ‘light’ in Japanese.
- wo – を : a case particle used to make the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after “shiroi hikari” to make the object in the sentence.
- mi – 見 (み) : one conjugation of the verb, “miru”, which means ‘to see’, ‘to look’, ‘to watch’, or such in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
- ta – た : an auxiliary verb used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its past tense form. In the example, this is used after “mi” to make its past tense form, “mi ta”.
This is a typical usage of “shiroi”. In the example, this i-adjective works as a modifier in the sentence and describes the color of the light. When we want to describe something white in Japanese, “shiroi” is a very good option. Japanese learners should master this i-adjective together with the noun, “shiro”.
Summary
In this blog post, I’ve explained the two ways to say “white” in Japanese: “shiro” and “shiroi”. And in addition, I’ve explained how to use them through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.
- shiro – 白 (しろ) : a noun meaning ‘white’ in Japanese. So, this is a Japanese word referring to the color of snow or such. When we want to refer to the color of white itself in Japanese, this noun is a very good option.
- shiroi – 白い (しろい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘white’ in Japanese. When we want to describe something white in Japanese, this i-adjective is a very good option.
Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.
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