白 (しろ, shiro) Japanese meaning: white

白 (しろ, shiro) Japanese meaning: white | Kotomora

Kanji

白white

Related words

潔けっ白ぱくN1sense 2
潔白 is a formal word for moral innocence or purity of conduct, while 白 is casual slang meaning 'innocent' especially in criminal contexts.
空くう白はくN1sense 3
空白 is the formal term for a blank or empty space, while 白 is used more informally for an unfilled area on a form or page.
白しろ色いろ
白 is the plain, everyday word for white, while 白色 sounds slightly more formal or technical, often appearing in compound or descriptive terms.
ホワイト
白 is the native Japanese word for the color white used broadly, while ホワイト is a loanword favored in fashion, product names, and stylish compounds.
白はく
白 (しろ) is the everyday kun'yomi word for the color white, while 白 (はく) is the on'yomi form mainly appearing in compounds and specialized jargon.

Opposites

黒くろN5sense 1
黒 is black, the direct opposite of 白 in color, and also means 'guilty' where 白 means 'innocent', extending to the black stones in Go versus 白's white stones.
ブラック
白 (white) is the direct color opposite of ブラック (black).

Don't confuse with

白しろいN5sense 1
白い is the i-adjective meaning 'white' used to modify nouns (白いシャツ), while 白 is the plain noun form used alone or with の/adj-no constructions.
白しら
白(しろ) is the free-standing noun/adjective for 'white', while 白(しら) is a bound prefix that only appears at the start of compound words like 白波.
城しろN3
白 (しろ, 'white') is a homophone of 城 (しろ, 'castle') and learners often mix them up despite unrelated meanings.

Word family· 175

面おも白しろいN5
interesting; fascinating; intriguing · amusing; funny; comical · enjoyable; fun; entertaining · good; satisfactory; favorable
白しろ石いし
white stone · white go stone
白しろ目め
white of the eye · cold, unwelcoming eyes
白しろ色いろ
white; white color

Written forms

白しろUsage97%
Standard kanji spelling for the color white and its extended meanings.
シロUsage2%
しろUsage1%
Kana spelling is common in casual writing and when the kanji is not needed.

Etymology

Native Japanese word for the color white. The kanji 白 is a pictograph of an acorn, symbolizing whiteness, and has been used for this meaning since ancient times.

白しろ

Meanings

Usage patterns

Expressions