1.
pale color; light color; pastel shade; soft hue
A soft, muted, or light shade of color. Used to describe colors that are not vivid or saturated — pastels, washed-out tones, and delicate hues found in nature, fashion, and art.
淡い色のワンピースを着る。
To wear a dress in a pale color.
春は淡い色の花が多い。
In spring, there are many flowers in pale colors.
壁を淡い色に塗ると、部屋が広く見える。
Painting the walls in a pale color makes the room look larger.
A common aesthetic expression combining the i-adjective 淡い (pale, light, faint) with 色 (color). The adjective 淡い has a broader meaning of "faint" or "fleeting" (as in 淡い期待, faint hope), but in this compound it specifically describes color intensity.
Pale and pastel colors hold a special place in Japanese aesthetics, associated with refinement, femininity, and the delicate beauty of nature — particularly cherry blossoms (桜色) and spring landscapes.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 淡い色合い: pale coloring, soft tones
- 淡いピンク: pale pink
- 淡い水色: pale light blue
- 淡い色の服: clothes in pale colors
SIMILAR WORDS:
- パステルカラー: pastel colors — loanword, same concept
- 薄い色: light/thin color — similar but focuses on low saturation
- 鮮やかな色: vivid color — the opposite of pale