Japanese symbol for “vermilion”
赤い
あかい
Romaji: akai
red; crimson; scarlet; vermilion
In Japanese, vermilion is 赤い, read あかい (akai).
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
- adj-i red; crimson; scarlet; vermilion
- adj-i Red; communist
Written forms: 赤い、紅い、朱い、緋い. Readings: あかい.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “vermilion”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 朱 | あけ ake | red; vermilion; cinnabar |
| 紅色 | べにいろ beniiro | red; crimson; vermilion |
| 朱色 | しゅいろ shuiro | vermilion (colour); cinnabar |
| 丹 | に ni | red earth (i.e. containing cinnabar or minium); vermilion |
| 丹 | たん tan | cinnabar; vermilion (mercury sulfide); red lead (trilead tetroxide) |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 赤ちゃん | あかちゃん akachan | baby; infant |
| 赤字 | あかじ akaji | (being in) the red; deficit |
| 真っ赤 | まっか makka | bright red; deep red; flushed (of face) |
| 赤ん坊 | あかんぼう akanbou | baby; infant |
| 赤色 | あかいろ akairo | red; red color |
See also: Chinese symbol for “vermilion”.
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.