Explore 色 through colour, scenery and colour names. Connect each reading with a complete word and a useful context.

The idea

色 has 6 strokes; follow the linked stroke-order diagram. Read 色（いろ）, 景色（けしき）, 赤色（せきしょく）, 黄色（きいろ） as whole words. The table shows each reading in context.

Patterns to compare
Japanese wordReadingExample in context
色いろWhich colour do you like best?
景色けしきThis scenery is beautiful.
赤色せきしょくOn this map, red represents hospitals.
黄色きいろThat flower is yellow.

Examples

  • どの色いろがいちばん好すきですか。Which colour do you like best?
  • その花はなは黄色きいろです。That flower is yellow.
  • この景色けしきはきれいです。This scenery is beautiful.
  • この車くるまの色いろは赤あかです。The colour of this car is red.
  • 色いろが変かわりました。The colour has changed.
  • この地図ちずでは、赤色せきしょくが病院びょういんを表あらわします。On this map, red represents hospitals.

Read-aloud uses a synthetic Japanese voice available on your device. Voice quality and availability vary; it does not assess your pronunciation.

Watch out

色 names a colour, but 景色 means scenery; 赤色 uses the reading しょく. Compare 色 with 巴: notice their different parts.

Try it yourself

  1. Write the reading of 色 in hiragana.

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    いろ

    色 is read いろ. In context: Which colour do you like best? Learn the reading with the whole word.

  2. Write the reading of 景色 in hiragana.

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    けしき

    景色 is read けしき. In context: This scenery is beautiful. Learn the reading with the whole word.

  3. Choose the missing kanji: 赤＿（せきしょく）［色／巴］.

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    色

    色 completes 赤色, read せきしょく. In context: On this map, red represents hospitals.

Use it today

Write 色 using the stroke-order diagram. Cover the table, read 色 and 景色, and make a sentence with one of them.