1.
red; the color red
The color red, named explicitly as a color term. More formal and technical than the plain adjective or noun 赤, used when the context calls for a precise reference to the color itself.
赤色の花。
A red flower.
信号が赤色に変わった。
The traffic light turned red.
この地図では、危険地域が赤色で示されている。
On this map, the dangerous areas are shown in red.
夕日に染まった空は鮮やかな赤色になった。
The sky, dyed by the setting sun, became a vivid red.
A color name formed by 赤 (red) + 色 (color). Compared with the plain word 赤, adding 色 produces a slightly more technical or explicit reference — the kind of word used on color swatches, map legends, product descriptions, and in scientific contexts.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 赤色の花: a red flower
- 赤色に染まる: to be dyed red
- 鮮やかな赤色: a vivid red
- 暗い赤色: a dark red
- 赤色灯: red light / red warning light
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 赤: red — the everyday word; used for both the color and things that are red. More common in speech.
- 紅: crimson; deep red — a poetic or literary word, often used for dye, lipstick, or autumn leaves.
- 朱色: vermilion — a specific shade of red-orange, used for traditional shrine gates and seals.
USAGE:
Use 赤色 when you need to name the color precisely, as in "displayed in red" or "a button in red color." In everyday speech, 赤 alone is more natural: 赤いリンゴ (a red apple), not 赤色のリンゴ (though the latter is not wrong).