Translation guide
The color black, and related expressions.
Describing something as black in color.
The most common adjective for 'black'. Used for objects, clothes, hair, etc.
黒い猫が道を渡った。
A black cat crossed the street.
彼女は黒いドレスを着ていた。
She was wearing a black dress.
Noun meaning 'black' (the color itself). Often used in compounds.
黒は私の好きな色です。
Black is my favorite color.
Describing skin that is dark or tanned.
Means 'sunburned' or 'tanned'. More natural than directly saying 'black skin'.
夏の間に日焼けした。
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.
彼は黒い肌をしている。
He has dark skin.
Ordering or describing coffee or tea without milk.
Loanword from English, used specifically for black coffee.
コーヒーはブラックでお願いします。
I'll have my coffee black, please.
Also used for black tea or coffee, meaning 'straight' (no milk/sugar).
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.
この問題は白黒はっきりさせなければならない。
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.
彼の意見はいつも白か黒かだ。
His opinions are always black and white.
Referring to illegal or underground economic activities.
Prefix meaning 'dark' or 'illegal', used in compounds like 'black market'.
闇市場で薬を買った。
He bought drugs on the black market.
Describing a company with harsh, illegal, or exploitative labor practices.
Common term for a company that exploits workers (unpaid overtime, harassment, etc.).
彼はブラック企業を辞めた。
He quit the black company.
Referring to the black pieces or side in a game.
Used for the black stones in Go, or black pieces in other games.
囲碁では黒が先手です。
In Go, black plays first.
Describing a business that is profitable.
Means 'in the black' (profitable). Opposite of 赤字 (in the red).
今年は会社が黒字になった。
The company is in the black this year.
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.
紅茶はストレートで飲みます。
I drink tea black.
Direct loanword for 'black market'.
ブラックマーケットで偽物が売られている。
Counterfeits are sold on the black market.