Refers to spots or patches of color, especially on animals like dogs, cats, or horses. Often used in compounds like ぶち模様 (spotted pattern) or ぶち犬 (spotted dog).
This dog has black spots on it.
That dog has black spots on a white coat.
There was a spotted cat in the garden.
I have a spotted cat.
斑点 is a more formal, technical word for individual spots or dots, whereas ぶち is a casual word mainly describing patchy coloring on animals.
無地 describes a plain, solid color with no pattern, the opposite of ぶち, which describes a spotted or patchy coloring.
Usually written in kana; the kanji forms 斑, 駁, 駮 are rare and may be unfamiliar to many readers.
Kanji form for ぶち, but the reading はん is more common for this kanji. Use with caution.
Rare kanji form for ぶち; primarily used in literary or technical contexts.
Obscure kanji variant for ぶち; not commonly used.
The origin is uncertain. It may be related to the mimetic word ぶちぶち (describing a spotted or pockmarked surface), but the exact derivation is unclear.