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薔薇色 (barairo) Japanese meaning: rose-colored | Kotomora

薔薇ばら色いろ

also: バラいろ

ば

ら

い

ろ

Common word›JLPTN1›Freq.FrequencyTop 100,000

Meanings

1

noun, noun which may take the genitive case particle 'no'

rose-colored; pink

Literal color sense; describes something that is the color of a rose, typically a warm pink or light crimson.

彼かの女じょは薔薇ばら色いろのドレスを着きていた。

She was wearing a rose-colored dress.

2

noun which may take the genitive case particle 'no'

rosy; bright; hopeful

Figurative use describing a positive, optimistic outlook on life, the future, or prospects. Often used in set phrases like 薔薇色の人生 (a rosy life).

彼かれは薔薇ばら色いろの未み来らいを夢ゆめ見みている。
He dreams of a rosy future.
新しん婚こん当とう初しょは薔薇ばら色いろの生せい活かつだった。
The early days of their marriage were a rosy life.

Usage patterns

〈事こと〉が薔ば薇ら色いろの人じん生せいa rosy, blissful life
結けっ婚こんしたら薔ば薇ら色いろの人じん生せいが待まっていると思おもっていた。
I thought a rosy life was waiting for me once I got married.
〈場ば所しょ〉が薔ば薇ら色いろに染そまるfor a place or sky to be dyed rose-colored
夕ゆう焼やけで西にしの空そらが薔薇ばら色いろに染そまった。
The western sky turned rose-colored with the sunset.
薔ば薇ら色いろの未み来らいa bright, hopeful future
彼かの女じょには薔薇ばら色いろの未み来らいが待まっているように見みえた。
It looked as if a bright future awaited her.
〈事こと〉を薔ば薇ら色いろに見みせるto make something look rosy/promising
彼かれの話はなしはいつも現げん実じつを薔薇ばら色いろに見みせる。
His stories always make reality look rosier than it is.

Kanji

色color
薔water pepper
薇an edible fern

Related words

ピンク色いろ sense 1
薔薇色 is a literary, slightly old-fashioned word for a rosy pink, while ピンク色 is the everyday, casual term for pink of any shade.
前ぜん途と洋よう々ようN1sense 2
前途洋々 is a set phrase praising a bright, promising future, close to the figurative sense of 薔薇色 but used specifically about someone's prospects rather than life in general.
桃もも色いろ sense 1
桃色 describes a similar peach-pink shade but often carries romantic or risqué overtones, whereas 薔薇色 is neutral and evokes the color of a rose.

Opposites

灰はい色いろN3sense 2
灰色の人生/未来 (a gray, bleak life/future) is the standard figurative opposite of 薔薇色の人生/未来 (a rosy, hopeful one).

Written forms

薔薇ばら色いろUsage24%
Standard kanji spelling; the reading ばらいろ is the most common pronunciation for this form.
バラ色いろUsage61%
Common mixed-katakana spelling; often used in figurative senses.
ばら色いろUsage15%
Mixed hiragana-kanji spelling; less common but still encountered.
バラいろ

Etymology

Compound of 薔薇 (bara, 'rose') + 色 (iro, 'color'). The figurative sense of 'rosy, hopeful' is a calque from English or other European languages.