青(あお)い

あおい
i-adjective
blue, green
1. blue
Having the color of a clear sky.
空(そら)が青(あお)い。
The sky is blue.
青(あお)い海(うみ)が見(み)えます。
I can see the blue sea.
海(うみ)が青(あお)くてきれいです。
The sea is blue and beautiful.
目(め)が青(あお)い人(ひと)を見(み)ました。
I saw a person with blue eyes.
今日(きょう)は空(そら)がとても青(あお)くて、いい天気(てんき)です。外(そと)に出(で)かけたいです。
Today the sky is very blue and the weather is nice. I want to go out.
2. green (for vegetation)
Traditionally used for green things like traffic lights and unripe fruit.
青(あお)い信号(しんごう)で渡(わた)る。
Cross when the light is green.
バナナがまだ青(あお)いです。
The banana is still green/unripe.
青(あお)い葉(は)がきれいですね。
The green leaves are beautiful.
このりんごはまだ青(あお)いので、食(た)べられません。
This apple is still green/unripe, so it can't be eaten.
信号(しんごう)が青(あお)くなったら、渡(わた)ってください。日本(にほん)では緑(みどり)の信号(しんごう)を青(あお)と言(い)います。
Please cross when the light turns green. In Japan, they call the green light 'blue'.

青(あお)い is an i-adjective meaning "blue," but historically covers blue-green spectrum.

FORMS:

  • Noun: 青(あお) (blue, the color)
  • Adverb: 青(あお)く

BLUE VS. GREEN:

Traditionally, Japanese used 青(あお)い for both blue and green. Modern Japanese distinguishes:

  • 青(あお)い: blue (sky, sea, eyes)
  • 緑(みどり): green (grass, trees)

However, 青(あお)い is still used for:

  • 青(あお)い信号(しんごう): green traffic light
  • 青(あお)い葉(は): green leaves
  • 青(あお)りんご: green apple
  • Unripe fruit: バナナがまだ青(あお)い

COMMON EXPRESSIONS:

  • 青空(あおぞら): blue sky
  • 真(ま)っ青(さお): deep blue; pale (from shock)
  • 青(あお)ざめる: to turn pale
  • 青二才(あおにさい): greenhorn, inexperienced youth

CULTURAL NOTE:
The blue-green overlap reflects historical Japanese color perception, where 青(あお) covered a broader spectrum than English "blue."

Related Words

See also: 赤(あか)い
See also: 白(しろ)い
See also: 黒(くろ)い
basic
Added 2026.1.8 0:35 · Revised 2026.2.11 20:05
00500/00586_aoi