Grey in Japanese

Grey in Japanese is 灰色 (hai-iro / ash color) or グレー (gurē). Traditional grays include Edo-period mouse-gray naming contexts — 鼠色 (nezumi-iro / mouse gray), 銀鼠 (gin-nezu / silver gray), and related variants.

Native

灰色

はいいろ

hai-iro

Loanword

グレー

gurē

Modern katakana loanword from English. Used in product naming, fashion, and casual conversation.

01Vocabulary scope

What “grey” covers in Japanese.

灰色 (hai-iro) — "ash color", the everyday word for grey.
グレー (gurē) — modern katakana loanword.
鼠色 (nezumi-iro) — "mouse gray", a key gray name in Edo-period naming contexts.
鈍色 (nibi-iro) — a muted gray associated with classical mourning vocabulary.

02Grammar

How to use it in a sentence.

灰色 and グレー are nouns; modify other nouns with の.
Use 灰色の or グレーの: 灰色の空 (hai-iro no sora) — "grey sky".

03Cultural context

What the color carries beyond the swatch.

Edo sumptuary restrictions are often discussed alongside 百鼠 (hyaku-nezu) — many named grays — and 四十八茶 (forty-eight browns).
鈍色 is associated with Heian-era mourning robe vocabulary; modern mourning shifted to black.
銀鼠 (gin-nezu / silver gray) is the subtle gray used in formal kimono and modern luxury aesthetics.

04Traditional greys in the atlas

Specific named traditional colors — not a single hex.

#7C7A73

鈍色にびいろ · Nibi-iroDull gray

#A8A49B

鼠色ねずみいろ · Nezumi-iroMouse gray

#B5B0A5

銀鼠ぎんねず · Gin-nezuSilver gray

05FAQ

How do you say grey in Japanese?

灰色 (hai-iro) for the native word, or グレー (gurē) for the loanword.

What is the difference between grey and gray spelling?

Only the English spelling differs — the Japanese word 灰色 is the same.

What is nezumi-iro?

鼠色 (nezumi-iro / mouse gray) is a key gray name in Edo-period naming contexts. It anchors a family of subtle gray names.

Traditional color values vary by source, textile, pigment, era, and screen display. HEX values are digital approximations; see the methodology for source-status tiers.