noun, noun which may take the genitive case particle 'no'
The basic color blue. Also used poetically for deep blue or azure.
空が青い。
The sky is blue.
彼は青のシャツを着ている。
He is wearing a blue shirt.
noun, noun which may take the genitive case particle 'no'
Used for green in certain fixed contexts: fruits, plants, vegetables, and traffic lights. In modern Japanese, 緑 (みどり) is the usual word for green.
信号が青になった。
The traffic light turned green.
まだ青いトマトは酸っぱい。
Green tomatoes are still sour.
noun
Abbreviation of 青信号 (あおしんごう). Used in everyday speech for a traffic green light.
See also: 青信号
青になったら渡りましょう。
Let's cross when the light turns green.
Literary kanji for blue-green or deep blue; uncommon in everyday text.
緑 is the standard modern word for green, while 青 is used for green only in specific contexts like traffic lights and unripe fruit.
青信号 is the full term for a green traffic light; 青 is its common abbreviation.
青毛 is the full term for a black horse coat; 青 is a shorter form used in the same domain.
Native Japanese word. Historically, あお covered a wider blue-green range, which explains its use for green in certain fixed expressions. The kanji 青 is a pictograph of a plant growing, associated with the color of young plants.