黄色い
きいろい
i-adjective
yellow
Conjugation
| Affirmative | Negative | |
|---|---|---|
| Present | 黄色い | 黄色くない |
| Past | 黄色かった | 黄色くなかった |
| て form | 黄色くて | 黄色くなくて |
| Adverbial | 黄色く | — |
| Conditional ば | 黄色ければ | 黄色くなければ |
| Conditional たら | 黄色かったら | 黄色くなかったら |
1.
yellow
Describes the color yellow. Most Japanese color words are nouns that modify with の (⟦緑→緑：00970_midori⟧⟦の→の：09472_no⟧⟦車→車：00516_kuruma⟧, "a green car"), but 黄色い is one of the small set that behave as i-adjectives and attach directly to the noun.
黄色い is one of the basic color terms in Japanese. Most color words in Japanese are nouns and modify a following noun with の — 緑の車 (a green car), 紫の花 (a purple flower). Only a handful are true i-adjectives that attach directly: 赤い, 青い, 白い, 黒い, 黄色い, and 茶色い.
Forms
Common expressions
- 黄色い声: shrill voice, high-pitched scream (especially of excited fans)
- 黄色い信号: yellow traffic light
- 黄色っぽい: yellowish
Cultural note
Yellow is associated with caution in Japan, similar to Western cultures (traffic lights, warning signs). 黄色い声 is a distinctive Japanese expression referring to the shrill, excited screams of fans (typically female).