How do you say "brown" in Japanese?

茶色

chairo

Adjective Kanji

In Japanese, "brown" is 茶色 (chairo).

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Pronunciation

茶色 is written using kanji. Romanised as chairo, it sounds roughly like "chah-ee-roh" to an English ear.

Writing and usage

Chairo (茶色) means brown, literally translated as tea color. The word comes from cha (茶, tea) and reflects the brown color of brewed Japanese tea.

Example sentence

木の幹は茶色です。

Ki no miki wa chairo desu.

Tree trunks are brown.

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How to remember 茶色

Chairo directly connects to tea. Visualize a warm cup of brown tea to remember this color word.

Related words

Browse all Japanese words in the glossary.

See more Japanese adjectives.

Questions about 茶色

How do you pronounce 茶色?

茶色 is romanised as chairo. Say it roughly like "chah-ee-roh" in English. Each Japanese syllable has even weight, so keep the rhythm steady.

Is 茶色 formal or casual?

茶色 is a neutral, everyday word that works in both casual and polite speech. The level of formality comes from the sentence structure around it, not from the word itself.

How is 茶色 written in Japanese?

茶色 is written using kanji. Chairo (茶色) means brown, literally translated as tea color.

Where can I practice Japanese words for free?

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"Brown" in other languages

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