白(しろ)い

しろい

i-adjective

white

See also: 白(しろ) (noun form)

Conjugation

	Affirmative	Negative
Present	白(しろ)い	白(しろ)くない
Past	白(しろ)かった	白(しろ)くなかった
て form	白(しろ)くて	白(しろ)くなくて
Adverbial	白(しろ)く	—
Conditional ば	白(しろ)ければ	白(しろ)くなければ
Conditional たら	白(しろ)かったら	白(しろ)くなかったら

1. white

Having the color of snow or milk.

白(しろ)い雪(ゆき)が降(ふ)っています。

White snow is falling.

白(しろ)いシャツを着(き)ています。

I'm wearing a white shirt.

猫(ねこ)は白(しろ)いです。

The cat is white.

歯(は)が白(しろ)くなりたいです。

I want my teeth to become white.

白(しろ)い花(はな)が好(す)きです。結婚式(けっこんしき)では白(しろ)いドレスを着(き)る人(ひと)が多(おお)いです。

I like white flowers. At weddings, many people wear white dresses.

Usage

白(しろ)い works both before a noun (白(しろ)い雪(ゆき)) and as a predicate (猫(ねこ)は白(しろ)い). Beyond color it describes hair going grey and skin that is pale or fair, and it carries a secondary sense of "blank" or "innocent" — a suspect proved innocent is 白(しろ).

Forms

Noun form: 白(しろ) (the color white; also "innocence")
Adverbial: 白(しろ)く (白(しろ)くなる = to become white)

Common collocations

白(しろ)い目(め)で見(み)る: to look at coldly or critically
白(しろ)い息(いき): visible breath (in cold weather)
白黒(しろくろ): black and white

Similar words

白(しろ)い: white
黒(くろ)い: black (the direct opposite)
薄(うす)い: pale, thin — used for faint color rather than true white

Cultural note

White symbolizes purity and cleanliness in Japan: a bride may wear a 白無垢(しろむく) (all-white wedding kimono). The same color also belongs to mourning and death, so white flowers are a poor choice for a celebratory gift.

Related Words

Antonym: 黒(くろ)い (black)

Related: 赤(あか)い (red)

Related: 青(あお)い (blue)

Compare: 薄(うす)い (pale, thin)

Compare: 白色(はくしょく) (white)

basic

Added 2026.1.8 0:21 · Revised 2026.9.2 12:02

00500/00587_shiroi