青 (あお, ao) Japanese meaning: blue

青 (あお, ao) Japanese meaning: blue | Kotomora

Kanji

青blue, green
蒼blue, pale
碧blue, green

Related words· 6

緑みどりN5sense 2
緑 is the everyday word for the color green, while 青 covers green only in set expressions like traffic lights and unripe produce.
ブルーN1
青 is the native Japanese word for blue used in formal and traditional contexts, while ブルー is a modern loanword often used in fashion and casual speech.
紺こんN2
青 is the general word for blue, while 紺 names a specific dark navy shade within that range.
青あお色いろ
青 is the everyday, basic word for blue, while 青色 is a slightly more explicit or formal way to name the color.

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水みず色いろN1
青 is the general word for blue (or even green in some contexts), whereas 水色 names a specific pale, watery shade of blue.
コバルトブルー
青 is the everyday, all-purpose word for blue, while コバルトブルー specifies a particular vivid tone used in art and fashion.

Opposites

赤あかN5sense 3
In traffic-light usage 青（green, go）is the opposite of 赤（red, stop）.

Don't confuse with

緑みどり色いろN4
青 historically covered both blue and green (as in 青信号 for a green traffic light), whereas 緑色 refers specifically and unambiguously to green.

Word family· 154

青あおいN5
blue; azure · green (of fruits, vegetables, traffic lights) · pale; gray (facial color) · unripe; inexperienced
青あお木き
Japanese laurel; spotted laurel · lush green tree
青あお空ぞらN4
blue sky
青あお色いろ
blue; blue color

Written forms

青あおUsage93%
Standard kanji for blue, green (in certain contexts), and related meanings.
アオUsage5%
あおUsage2%
Kana spelling is common in casual writing and when the intended kanji nuance is not important.
蒼あおUsage<1%
Literary or archaic kanji for deep blue or azure; rarely used in modern writing.
碧あお
Literary kanji for blue-green or deep blue; uncommon in everyday text.

Etymology

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.

青あお

Meanings

Usage patterns

Expressions