1.
white, the color white
The color white. Used for the color itself and for things that are white.
白が好きだ。
I like white.
壁を白に塗った。
I painted the wall white.
白のワイシャツに紺のネクタイを合わせた。
I paired a white dress shirt with a navy tie.
2.
innocence, not guilty
Being innocent or not guilty, especially in the context of criminal investigations. Opposite of 黒 (guilty).
彼は白だった。
He was innocent.
調べた結果、容疑者は白と判明した。
After investigation, the suspect was found to be innocent.
白か黒かはっきりさせよう。
Let's determine clearly whether it's innocent or guilty.
USAGE:
As a color noun, 白 modifies other nouns with の: 白のシャツ (a white shirt). The adjective form 白い is used for direct description. In detective and crime contexts, 白 means innocent/not guilty, contrasting with 黒 (guilty). In board games like go and chess, 白 refers to the white pieces or the player using them.
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 白い: white (i-adjective form)
- 黒: black; guilty (opposite in both color and crime senses)
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 白か黒か: innocent or guilty; black or white
- 白に近い: close to innocent
- 白と判明する: be found innocent
- 白の背景: white background