Color in Chinese / Japanese...

顏色 is kind of a weird selection for a wall scroll, but we added it to our database at the request of a customer.

顏色 means “color” in Chinese. However, in Japanese, it would mean complexion, countenance, or expression. The last character is used alone in Japanese (and sometimes in Chinese with/as an adjective/modifier) to mean “color.”

紺 is a slightly-rare Chinese and old Korean title for the color violet or purple.

In Japanese, this refers to a very deep blue color.

紅 is a single character that means red in Chinese, Japanese Kanji, and old Korean Hanja.

The perceived meaning of this character can be ambiguous. Most will see it as the color red but it can also mean Communist (just like it can in English). In Japanese, it can be a female given name “Rena,” or refer to red silk lining. In Chinese, red is a good luck color, and can refer to a bonus or revolutionary.

灰色 is the Chinese, Japanese Kanji, and old Korean Hanja for the color gray.

This can also mean ash gray, grizzly, pessimistic, gloomy, dispirited, ambiguous (not black and white), and the alternate spelling grey.

粉色 means pink color in Chinese.

In certain contexts or colloquially, this can also refer to something erotic or a beautiful woman. Sometimes an adjective or reference to a woman who is powdered (with make-up).

鮮紅 is a Japanese and Chinese title for scarlet or bright red color.

深紅色 is a Japanese and Chinese title for scarlet or crimson-red color.

黑 is the color black in Chinese, Japanese, and old Korean Hanja.

In some contexts, this can mean “dark” or “evil.”

There is an alternate form of this character which is commonly used in modern Japan (shown to the right). If you want this alternate/Japanese form, just click on the character to the right, instead of the button above.

赤 can represent the color scarlet, red, or crimson.

In some special contexts, it can also mean naked, whole, total, perfect, obvious, or the Japanese surname, Sekizaki.

橙 is the single-character version of orange. This can refer to the color orange, or the fruit (Just like in English). Sometimes it can refer to a whole orange tree. In botany, it can refer to bitter orange (Citrus aurantium).

In Japanese, this is sometimes pronounced as Chen and used as a female given name. When pronounced as Daidai or Kabuchi, it can be a surname in Japanese.

青 is nature's color and can refer to forest green, greenish-blue, or the darkest of greens.

青 and color represent nature, youth, and young people.

In the same way, we refer to green bananas and the rookie being green, the same is true in Chinese and Japanese, where, in a certain context, this can mean immature, unripe, or young.

In Japan, this can also be a female given name “Haru.” It can also be used as a given name (for either sex) in China.

紫 is the single-character Chinese, Japanese, and old Korean title for the color violet/purple.

The difference between violet and purple is not really distinguished in Asian languages. However, sometimes a character for “light” is added to the front of this one, which might be closer to the meaning of violet.

褐 is the most simple way to express brown in Chinese.

It also means brown in Japanese but this character is not often written alone in Japanese (they would tend to write 褐色 (brown color) to refer to brown or the color of tanned skin.

In some contexts, this can refer to gray or a dark color, or coarse hemp cloth.

In the Buddhist context, it can refer to a coarse serge (cheaply sewn clothing) hence poverty.

Note: In Taiwanese Mandarin, this is spoken with the 2nd or rising tone instead of the 4th or falling tone used in the mainland.

黃 is the single character for the color yellow in Chinese.

This can be a Chinese surname Huang or a Korean surname Hwang.

In China, yellow is traditionally the color of the emperor. In fact, there was a time when only the emperor could wear yellow clothing or own yellow pet fish.
Note: Goldfish were bred originally in China for the emperor. When the perfect yellow fish was bred, all but the emperor were banned from owning any. Thus a more orange-colored goldfish dominated the market.

Notes: 黃 is not a common selection for a wall scroll. In certain contexts in China, yellow can refer to pornography or vice.

This character is written with a slight variation in Simplified Chinese and modern Japanese. Click on the image to the right if you want this alternate version.

藍 is the single character for the color blue in Chinese.

It can also mean indigo in Japanese Kanji and old Korean Hanja.

灰 is the color Gray Mandarin Chinese.

You can use this to represent your name if your given or surname happens to be Gray. This also means ash or lime (the mineral) depending on context.

黒龍 is a generic title for “Black Dragon.”

The first character is black color.
The second means dragon.

Sometimes written as 黑龍 (just a minor variation in the first character).