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生白い (なまじろい) Japanese meaning | Kotomora

生なま白じろい

な

ま

じ

ろ

い

Meanings

1

i-adjective

pale; pallid; wan; pasty

Describes a sickly, unhealthy, or unappealing paleness, often of skin or complexion. Similar to なまっちろい but slightly less emphatic.

See also: 生っ白い (なまっちろい)

彼かれは病びょう気きで顔かおが生なま白じろい。
His face is pale from illness.

生なま白じろい肌はだの人ひとが日ひ焼やけに弱よわい。

People with pale skin are sensitive to sunburn.

Written forms

生なま白じろいUsage100%
Standard kanji spelling.
生なまじろい
Alternate kanji spelling using じろい; less common.

Kanji

生life, genuine, birth
白white

Similar words

生なまっ白ちろい
More emphatic and colloquial than 生白い, often implying an even more unpleasantly pale or pasty appearance.
青あお白じろい
Means 'pale' with a bluish or greenish tint, often from fear or illness, while 生白い suggests a dull, unhealthy whiteness.

Etymology

Compound of 生 (nama, 'raw, fresh') and 白い (shiroi, 'white'), with rendaku voicing to jiroi. The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but it likely originally described the pale color of raw or uncooked things.