1.
to dye; to color
To change the color of fabric, hair, or other materials using dye.
髪を茶色に染めた。
I dyed my hair brown.
布を藍色に染めた。
I dyed the cloth indigo.
卒業式のために髪を黒く染め直した。
I re-dyed my hair black for the graduation ceremony.
2.
to tinge; to stain
For color or emotion to spread across something, often used poetically.
夕日が空を赤く染めている。
The sunset is dyeing the sky red.
朝日が山をオレンジ色に染めた。
The morning sun tinged the mountains orange.
恥ずかしさで頬を染めた。
Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment.
染める is a transitive verb (他動詞) meaning to dye or color something.
INTRANSITIVE PAIR: 染まる (to be dyed, to be tainted)
- 染める: I dye the cloth.
- 染まる: The cloth gets dyed.
ASPECT (ている):
染めている indicates the dyeing process is ongoing, or something has been dyed.
PARTICLE PATTERNS:
- [thing]を[color]に染める — to dye [thing] [color]
- [subject]が[thing]を染める — [subject] dyes/tinges [thing]
COMMON PATTERNS:
- 髪を染める (dye hair)
- 布を染める (dye cloth)
- 空を染める (tinge the sky - poetic)
- 頬を染める (blush - literally "dye one's cheeks")
POETIC USE:
頬を染める is a refined expression for blushing, often used in literature.