Translation guide
Describes the action of someone's face losing color, usually due to fear, shock, illness, or strong emotion. Japanese has several common verbs and expressions for this, with nuances of suddenness, degree, and cause.
To describe someone's face suddenly losing color, often from shock or fear.
The most common and versatile verb for 'turn pale'. It implies a visible loss of color in the face, often due to fear, shock, or illness.
彼はその知らせを聞いて青ざめた。
He turned pale when he heard the news.
彼女は恐怖で青ざめていた。
She was pale with fear.
A more descriptive phrase meaning 'one's complexion becomes pale'. Slightly more formal or written than 青ざめる.
その話を聞いて、彼は顔色が青くなった。
Hearing that story, his face turned pale.
A more literary or formal expression meaning 'to become ghastly pale'. Often used in written descriptions.
彼の顔は蒼白になった。
His face turned deathly pale.
To emphasize the suddenness or dramatic loss of color, often in a narrative context.
Literally 'the blood drains away'. A very common and vivid expression for suddenly turning pale from shock or fear.
その光景を見て、血の気が引いた。
The blood drained from my face when I saw that sight.
彼は血の気が引いた顔で立っていた。
He stood there with a pale face (as if the blood had drained).
A more explicit version of 血の気が引く, specifying 'from the face'. Emphasizes the visible change.
その言葉に、彼女は顔から血の気が引いた。
At those words, the color drained from her face.
To describe a more extreme paleness, sometimes closer to 'turn white'.
Means 'to become completely pale/blue'. Often used for extreme fear or shock. 真っ青 (massao) is an intensified form of 青 (blue/pale).
彼は恐怖で真っ青になった。
He turned white with fear.
事故の話を聞いて、彼女は真っ青になった。
She went pale as a ghost when she heard about the accident.
A simpler phrase meaning 'to become pale/blue'. Less intense than 真っ青になる, but still common.
To describe paleness caused by physical condition rather than emotion.
A general phrase for 'complexion becomes bad/pale'. Commonly used for illness, tiredness, or hangovers.
彼は風邪で顔色が悪くなった。
He turned pale from a cold.
寝不足で顔色が悪い。
My complexion is pale from lack of sleep.
Also used for illness, but more often associated with emotional shock. Context clarifies.
青ざめる is a general verb for turning pale, while 真っ青になる emphasizes an extreme degree of paleness, often translated as 'turn white as a sheet'. 真っ青になる is more dramatic and colloquial.
彼は青ざめた。
He turned pale.
彼は真っ青になった。
He turned completely white.
Do not use 回る (mawaru) or 変わる (kawaru) directly for 'turn pale'. The natural expressions are the verbs and phrases listed above. Saying 青に回る is nonsensical.
He turned pale upon hearing that.
彼は病気で青ざめている。
He is pale from illness.