Blue in Japanese
Blue in Japanese is 青 (ao) for the everyday native word and ブルー (burū) for the modern loanword. Classical Japanese 青 historically covered both blue and green, which is why traffic lights and fresh leaves are still called ao.
Modern katakana loanword from English. Used in product naming, fashion, and casual conversation.
What “blue” covers in Japanese.
- 青 (ao) — basic native word, can lean toward blue-green in older usage.
- ブルー (burū) — modern katakana loanword from English, unambiguous blue.
- 青い (aoi) — i-adjective form for everyday speech.
- 青色 (ao-iro) — noun form of the color blue, used in design and labels.
How to use it in a sentence.
- Use 青い as an adjective: 青い空 (aoi sora) — "blue sky".
- Use 青の or 青色の to modify nouns by color, e.g. 青のシャツ (ao no shatsu).
- Classical Japanese 青 covers blue, green, and even pale things — green traffic lights are still called 青信号 (ao shingō).
What the color carries beyond the swatch.
- Aizome 藍染 indigo dye was the workwear color of Edo-period farmers and samurai under-robes.
- Asagi-iro 浅葱色 was the haori lining of the Shinsengumi — a pale, fresh blue-green.
- Kon 紺 — the deep dark navy of formal kimono and traditional shop curtains (noren).
Specific named traditional colors — not a single hex.
How do you say blue in Japanese?
The native word is 青 (ao), and the loanword is ブルー (burū). 青い (aoi) is the adjective form.
What is the difference between ao and aoi?
青 (ao) is the noun. 青い (aoi) is the i-adjective form used to describe nouns directly, like 青い海 (aoi umi) — "blue sea".
Why are green things sometimes called ao?
Classical Japanese did not distinguish blue and green sharply. 青信号 (green traffic light) and 青葉 (fresh green leaves) are common holdovers.
What are traditional Japanese blue colors?
藍色 (ai-iro / indigo), 浅葱色 (asagi-iro / pale blue-green), 縹色 (hanada-iro), 紺色 (kon-iro / deep navy), 群青 (gunjō / ultramarine), and 水色 (mizu-iro / water blue).
Traditional color values vary by source, textile, pigment, era, and screen display. HEX values are digital approximations; see the methodology for source-status tiers.