グレー

ぐれー
noun, na-adjective
gray; grey
color
1. gray; grey
The color gray. Used for literal colors of objects and clothing.
グレーのスーツを着(き)る。
To wear a gray suit.
壁(かべ)をグレーに塗(ぬ)り替(か)えた。
I repainted the wall gray.
薄(うす)いグレーと濃(こ)いグレー、どちらが好(す)きですか。
Which do you prefer, light gray or dark gray?
2. gray area; ambiguous; dubious
Something that is not clearly black or white — morally ambiguous, legally questionable, or uncertain.
それはグレーゾーンだ。
That's a gray area.
法律(ほうりつ)的(てき)にはグレーな取引(とりひき)だ。
It's a legally gray transaction.
あの会社(かいしゃ)のやり方(かた)はグレーだと言(い)われている。
That company's methods are said to be dubious.

A loanword from English "gray/grey." As a color term, グレー is the standard modern loanword and is more common than the native 灰色(はいいろ) in fashion and design contexts. The figurative sense of moral or legal ambiguity is very productive in modern Japanese.

Common collocations

  • グレーゾーン: gray zone, gray area
  • 濃(こ)いグレー: dark gray
  • 薄(うす)いグレー: light gray
  • グレーな部分(ぶぶん): gray/ambiguous part
  • チャコールグレー: charcoal gray
  • ライトグレー: light gray

Similar words

  • 灰色(はいいろ): gray — the native Japanese word; used more in literature and traditional descriptions
  • 鼠色(ねずみいろ): mouse gray — a traditional Japanese color name with a slightly warm tone

Usage

In the figurative sense, グレー often implies something that is technically not illegal but ethically questionable — stronger than simply "unclear."

Related Words

Compare: 灰色(はいいろ) (gray)
general
Added 2026.4.19 18:14 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:02
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