How do you say "iris" in Japanese?

虹彩

kousai

Noun Kanji

In Japanese, "iris" is 虹彩 (kousai).

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Pronunciation

Kousai is koh-oo-sai, three syllables with a long opening vowel, ending on a bright 'sai'.

Writing and usage

虹彩 is written using kanji. It's a noun, and this word is also taught inside the Noun Town language learning game, where it appears in interactive lessons alongside hundreds of other everyday words.

Example sentence

虹彩は美しい緑色です。

kousai ha utsukushii ryokushoku desu.

Her iris is a beautiful shade of green.

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How to remember 虹彩

Think of the coloured iris catching light on that bright final 'sai' sound.

Related words

Browse all Japanese words in the glossary.

Questions about 虹彩

How do you pronounce 虹彩?

Kousai is koh-oo-sai, three syllables with a long opening vowel, ending on a bright 'sai'.

Is 虹彩 formal or casual?

虹彩 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 虹彩 written in Japanese?

虹彩 is written using kanji. Romanised, it reads as kousai.

Where can I practice Japanese words for free?

You can play free Japanese minigames in your browser on the Noun Town online games page, with no sign-up needed. Every word in the Japanese glossary also has native audio and an example sentence you can revisit any time.

"Iris" in other languages

Curated by Jack Ratcliffe

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. Want to play the full game? Get Noun Town on Steam.

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