(みどりいろ)

みどりいろ
noun, no-adjective
green; green color
color
1. green; green color
The color green, as seen in leaves and grass.
緑色(みどりいろ)()(うつく)しい
The green leaves are beautiful.
信号(しんごう)緑色(みどりいろ)()わった
The traffic light changed to green.
この()()緑色(みどりいろ)(あざ)やかだ。
This paint has a vivid green.
In spring, the mountains are dyed green.

(みどり) (green) + (いろ) (color). The explicit color-name form, used when specifying or describing the color green precisely.

Common collocations

Similar words

  • (みどり): green — used more broadly and poetically; 緑色(みどりいろ) is more concrete and descriptive
  • (あお): blue/green — traditionally covers both blue and green in Japanese; traffic lights are called (あお) even though they appear green

Usage

In Japanese, (あお) historically encompassed both blue and green. The distinction between (あお) and (みどり) became clearer in modern Japanese, but (あお) is still used for green traffic lights and green apples ((あお)りんご). 緑色(みどりいろ) is unambiguously green.