草木(くさき)染(ぞ)め

くさきぞめ
noun
plant dyeing; natural dyeing
culture
1. dyeing cloth with dyes from plants
The traditional craft of dyeing fabric or thread using natural dyes extracted from plants such as leaves, bark, roots, or flowers.
草木染(くさきぞ)めのスカーフを買(か)った。
I bought a plant-dyed scarf.
玉(たま)ねぎの皮(かわ)で草木染(くさきぞ)めをした。
I did plant dyeing with onion skins.
草木染(くさきぞ)めは化学染料(かがくせんりょう)にはない自然(しぜん)な色合(いろあ)いが魅力(みりょく)だ。
The appeal of plant dyeing is the natural shades that chemical dyes cannot produce.

Composed of 草木(くさき) (plants, literally grass and trees) + 染(ぞ)め (dyeing). Refers to dyeing with natural plant-based dyes, valued for soft, natural colors. A traditional craft still practiced as a hobby and in artisan textiles.

Common collocations

Similar words

  • 藍染(あいぞ)め: indigo dyeing — a specific, well-known type of plant dyeing using the indigo plant
  • 染(そ)め物(もの): dyed goods; dyeing — the general term for dyed fabric or the craft