Translation guide
To change or lose color, often in an undesirable way. This guide covers how to express discoloration in Japanese, from natural fading to stains and blemishes.
Expressing that something has lost its original color due to sunlight, washing, or age.
The most common and natural way to say 'fade' or 'lose color'. Used for clothes, photographs, and other items that lose vibrancy.
このシャツは洗濯で色あせてしまった。
This shirt has faded from washing.
A more formal or technical term for fading, often used in written contexts or product descriptions.
直射日光により退色することがあります。
It may fade due to direct sunlight.
Specifically refers to color running or bleeding out, often when washing new clothes. Focuses on the loss of dye.
新しいジーンズは色落ちしやすい。
New jeans tend to bleed color easily.
Describing when something gets a stain or discolored patch from a spill, chemical, or other substance.
General term for 'change color' or 'discolor', often implying an undesirable change. Works for stains, chemical reactions, or aging.
薬品で床が変色した。
The floor discolored due to the chemical.
Literally 'become a stain'. Used when a substance leaves a visible mark or discoloration.
ワインがこぼれてカーペットが染みになった。
Wine spilled and stained the carpet.
Specifically means 'to yellow' or 'become yellowed', often used for aging paper, fabric, or teeth.
古い本のページが黄ばんでいる。
The pages of the old book have yellowed.
Describing a loss of healthy color in living things, like skin turning pale or leaves losing greenness.
Means 'to turn pale' or 'go pale', usually from shock, fear, or illness. Used for faces/skin.
彼はその知らせを聞いて青ざめた。
He turned pale upon hearing the news.
Literally 'color comes out', used for natural fading of leaves, flowers, or even skin losing its tan.
秋になると葉の色が抜けていく。
In autumn, the leaves lose their color.
色あせる (iroaseru) implies a gradual fading or loss of vibrancy, often due to light or washing. 変色する (henshoku suru) is a broader term for any color change, often sudden or caused by a specific agent, and can sound more technical.
The English loanword ディスカラー (disukarā) is not commonly used in Japanese. Stick to native verbs like 変色する or 色あせる.