1.
yellow; the color yellow
The color yellow. Used as a noun and in compounds. One of the traditional basic colors in Japanese.
信号が黄になった。
The traffic light turned yellow.
黄色い花が咲いている。
Yellow flowers are blooming.
秋になると銀杏の葉が黄に染まる。
In autumn, the ginkgo leaves turn yellow.
The color yellow, one of the traditional Japanese colors. In everyday speech, 黄色 (yellow, as a noun) and 黄色い (yellow, as an adjective) are more common than 黄 alone. 黄 appears mostly in compounds.
COMMON COMPOUNDS:
- 黄色 — yellow (the most common everyday form)
- 黄金/黄金 — gold, golden
- 黄緑 — yellow-green
- 黄身 — egg yolk
- 黄葉 — yellow autumn leaves
- 黄砂 — yellow sand/dust (from China)
- 黄昏 — twilight, dusk
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 黄色い声 — shrill voice, high-pitched scream (often of excited fans)
- 黄に染まる — to turn yellow
- 黄信号 — yellow light (traffic signal)
CULTURAL NOTE:
In Japanese, the color that English speakers call 'green' for traffic lights is traditionally called 青 (blue). However, the yellow light is called 黄 or 黄色, matching the English term.