How do you say "gray" in Japanese?

グレー

gurē

Adjective Katakana

In Japanese, "gray" is グレー (gurē).

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Pronunciation

グレー is written using katakana. Romanised as gurē, it sounds roughly like "goo-reh-eh" to an English ear.

Writing and usage

Guree (グレー) is a katakana loanword from English for grey. The traditional Japanese term is haiiro (灰色), meaning ash color, and appears more in formal writing.

Example sentence

その猫はグレーの毛をしています。

Sono neko wa guree no ke wo shite imasu.

That cat has grey fur.

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How to remember グレー

Guree sounds like the English grey. Say it with Japanese pronunciation and you have the modern color word.

Related words

Browse all Japanese words in the glossary.

See more Japanese adjectives.

Questions about グレー

How do you pronounce グレー?

グレー is romanised as gurē. Say it roughly like "goo-reh-eh" in English. Each Japanese syllable has even weight, so keep the rhythm steady.

Is グレー formal or casual?

グレー 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 グレー written in Japanese?

グレー is written using katakana. Guree (グレー) is a katakana loanword from English for grey.

Where can I practice Japanese words for free?

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"Gray" in other languages

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