色いろ合あい

い

ろ

あ

い

Common wordFreq.FrequencyTop 20,000

Meanings

1

noun

shade; hue; tone; coloring

Refers to the subtle quality of a color, including its shade, tint, or overall impression. Used for describing visual appearance in art, design, nature, and everyday objects.

この絵えの色いろ合あいがとても美うつくしい。
The coloring of this painting is very beautiful.

空そら

の

色いろ

合あ

い

が

夕ゆう

方がた

に

なる

と

変か

わる

。

The hue of the sky changes in the evening.

2

noun

flavor; nuance; feel; atmosphere

Extended figurative use: the subtle character, mood, or nuance of something non-visual, such as music, writing, or a situation. Often implies a delicate or refined quality.

彼かれの文ぶん章しょうには独どく特とくの色いろ合あいがある。
His writing has a unique flavor.
この曲きょくの色いろ合あいはどこか懐なつかしい。
The feel of this song is somewhat nostalgic.

Written forms

色合いUsage95%
- いろあい
  Standard modern spelling with okurigana.
- いろあわい
  out-dated reading
色合Usage5%
- いろあい
  Variant spelling without okurigana; less common but still encountered.
- いろあわい
  out-dated reading
いろあわい
out-dated reading

Kanji

色color
合fit, suit, join

Similar words

色いろ
色 is the general word for 'color', while 色合い focuses on the subtle shade, tone, or nuanced quality of a color or atmosphere.
ニュアンス
ニュアンス is a loanword for 'nuance' and is more abstract; 色合い can be used figuratively for nuance but retains a sensory, often visual, connotation.

Etymology

Compound of 色 (iro, 'color') + 合い (ai, 'match, fit together'), from the verb 合う (au, 'to match, suit'). Literally 'color matching', it came to refer to the resulting shade or tone, and later extended to figurative nuances.