How do you say "blue" in Japanese?

In Japanese, "blue" is (ao). It is a adjective pronounced "ah-oh".

Listen to the pronunciation:

Pronunciation

青 is written in kanji. Romanised as ao, it sounds roughly like "ah-oh" to an English ear.

Example sentence

空は青です。

Sora wa ao desu.

The sky is blue.

Usage notes

Ao (青) means blue, though historically it also covered what we now call green. Traffic lights in Japan are officially called ao (blue) even though they appear green to many observers.

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Questions about 青

How do you pronounce 青?

青 is romanised as ao. Say it roughly like "ah-oh" in English. Each Japanese syllable has even weight, so keep the rhythm steady.

Is 青 formal or casual?

青 is a na-adjective or noun-adjective. It is neutral in register and fits naturally in both casual and polite sentences. Add na before a noun, or use desu for a polite predicate.

How is 青 written in Japanese?

青 is written using kanji. Kanji characters carry the core meaning; any hiragana or katakana that follow show grammatical endings.

This word is part of the vocabulary taught in the Japanese language learning game Noun Town, where words are introduced through play rather than memorisation.