Translation guide
The color black, and related expressions.
Describing something as black in color.
Describing skin that is dark or tanned.
Means 'sunburned' or 'tanned'. More natural than directly saying 'black skin'.
Ordering or describing coffee or tea without milk.
Expressing that something is clearly one way or another, with no gray area.
Idiom meaning 'to make black and white clear', i.e., to clarify a matter.
Referring to illegal or underground economic activities.
Prefix meaning 'dark' or 'illegal', used in compounds like 'black market'.
Describing a company with harsh, illegal, or exploitative labor practices.
Referring to the black pieces or side in a game.
Used for the black stones in Go, or black pieces in other games.
Describing a business that is profitable.
Means 'in the black' (profitable). Opposite of 赤字 (in the red).
Avoid using 黒い directly to describe a person's skin color, as it can be offensive. Use more specific terms like 肌が黒い (literally 'skin is black') only in descriptive contexts, or better, use 日焼けした (tanned) or other neutral descriptions.
She was wearing a black dress.
Black is my favorite color.
I got tanned over the summer.
Literally 'black skin'. Can be used descriptively but may sound blunt; use with care.
Can be perceived as insensitive if referring to people. Often better to use more specific or neutral terms.
He has dark skin.
Loanword from English, used specifically for black coffee.
I'll have my coffee black, please.
Also used for black tea or coffee, meaning 'straight' (no milk/sugar).
I drink tea black.
We need to settle this issue once and for all.
Literally 'white or black', used to ask if something is one extreme or the other.
His opinions are always black and white.
He bought drugs on the black market.
Direct loanword for 'black market'.
Counterfeits are sold on the black market.
Common term for a company that exploits workers (unpaid overtime, harassment, etc.).
He quit the black company.
囲碁では黒が先手です。
In Go, black plays first.
The company is in the black this year.