Copyright © 2026 Kotomora. All Rights Reserved.
赤 (あか, aka) Japanese meaning: red | Kotomora
じ 字 Furigana
Meanings Jump to a sense… 1. red; crimson; scarlet 2. red-containing color; reddish 3. communist; Red 4. red light (traffic) 5. red ink; in the red 6. complete; total; utter 7. copper 8. red 5-point card (hanafuda) Report an issue with this page
しん
号ごう
が
赤あか
に
なっ
た
。
The traffic light turned red.
She was wearing a red dress.
Usage patterns 〈 場ば 所しょ 〉 の 信しん 号ごう が 赤あか になる for a traffic light to turn red
The light turned red, so I stopped the car.
赤あか で 止と まる to stop at a red light
Please stop at the red light.
〈 事じ 業ぎょう 〉 が 赤あか になる for a business or budget to go into deficit
Sales fell this year and we went into the red.
赤あか で 書か く to write in red ink (esp. for corrections)
The teacher marked the mistakes in red.
Expressions 赤あか きは 酒さけ の 咎とが it's not my fault; the red face is the alcohol's fault 赤あか 信しん 号ごう 皆みんな で 渡わた れば 怖こわ くない if everyone crosses against the red light together, there's nothing to be afraid of; there's no reason to feel guilty about doing something bad if everyone does it Kanji 朱 vermilion, cinnabar, scarlet Related words· 7 紅 is a deeper, more poetic or cosmetic shade of red often used for lipstick or dyes, while 赤 is the plain, everyday word for the color red.
朱 refers to a vermilion or orange-red shade traditionally used for seal ink and lacquerware, while 赤 is the general basic term for red.
赤 is the plain, everyday word for red, while 赤色 sounds more formal or technical and is the form used in scientific or political contexts.
赤 is the general, everyday word for red, while 緋 names a specific vivid, deep scarlet shade used in traditional or poetic contexts.
Show 3 more 赤 is the everyday native Japanese word for red, while レッド is a loanword often used in brand names, fashion, or when naming a specific shade.
赤 is the general, everyday word for red, while 朱 designates a specific bright, orange-tinged vermilion shade tied to traditional seals and ink.
赤 is the general, everyday word for red, while スカーレット specifically names a bright, vivid shade often used in fashion or literary description.
Opposites 赤(字)means a business is running a deficit, while 黒字 means it is turning a profit.
赤 (as an abbreviation of 赤信号) means the red 'stop' light, while 青 (as an abbreviation of 青信号) means the green 'go' light.
Written forms 赤あか Usage 96%
Standard kanji for the color red and most senses. It is a high-priority form.
アカ Usage 3%
Katakana spelling is common for the colloquial 'communist' sense.
あか Usage 1%
紅あか
Often used for deep red or crimson, especially in literary or poetic contexts. Can also be read くれない or べに.
朱あか
Refers to vermilion or a bright red-orange, common in traditional arts and stamps.
Etymology From Old Japanese. The root あか is associated with brightness and redness, possibly related to 明るい (あかるい, 'bright'). The kanji 赤 is a pictograph of a person over fire, symbolizing the color red.
red; red color · communist; socialist; left-wing
Show 25 more red flag · Red Flag (newspaper)
red wine
Japanese red pine; Pinus densiflora
red hair; ginger hair
red light (traffic) · red light; stop signal; danger sign
red flesh (fish); red-fleshed fish; lean meat · heartwood
bishop wood (Bischofia javanica) · barked tree · red tree
reddish tinge; slight redness; blush
pulling down one's eyelid and sticking out one's tongue
red eyes; bloodshot eyes · red-eye (in photography) · red mullet (Chelon haematocheilus) · akanbe (facial gesture)
blush; redden (one's face)
red clay; red earth; laterite · dark-red paint
pulp fiction; dime novel · akahon; university entrance exam workbook (Kyōgakusha) · Edo-period storybook with red cover · Michelin Red Guide
draft papers; call-up notice · red paper
dark red; dark brown; reddish brown
red dragonfly · darter; meadowhawk
dark-brown miso paste; red miso
red nose
red cap; red hat · railway porter; redcap
red tide
bright red; deep red
red gate; Akamon (gate of the University of Tokyo)
red cloth; red background
blood clam; ark shell
red face; flushed face
緋あか
out-dated kanji form
Out-dated kanji for scarlet; rarely used in modern Japanese.