Japanese symbol for “color”
色
いろ
Romaji: iro
colour; color; hue; tint
In Japanese, color is 色, read いろ (iro).
Before using these characters for a tattoo, check them with a native speaker. Dictionary words often have several meanings, and the right choice depends on context.
Meanings
- n colour; color; hue; tint; tinge; shade
- n complexion; skin colour; skin color
- n look (on one's face); expression
- n appearance; air; feeling
- n personality; character
- n tone (of one's voice, etc.); tune; sound; ring
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “color”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| カラー | カラー karaa | color; colour |
| 色彩 | しきさい shikisai | colour; color; hue |
| 染める | そめる someru | to dye; to colour; to color |
| 彩る | いろどる irodoru | to colour; to color; to paint |
| 血の気 | ちのけ chinoke | blood (in one's face, cheeks, etc.); colour; color |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 黄色 | きいろ kiiro | yellow; amber |
| 色彩 | しきさい shikisai | colour; color; hue |
| 景色 | けしき keshiki | scenery; scene; landscape |
| 色々 | いろいろ iroiro | various; a variety of; all sorts of |
| 緑色 | みどりいろ midoriiro | green; green color |
| 灰色 | はいいろ haiiro | grey; gray; ashen |
See also: Chinese symbol for “color”.
Data: JMdict (CC BY-SA 4.0); KANJIDIC2 (CC BY-SA 4.0); KanjiVG (CC BY-SA 3.0); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.