1.
yellow; the color yellow
The color yellow. Used as a noun and in compounds. One of the traditional basic colors in Japanese.
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.
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.