How do you say "purple" in Japanese?

In Japanese, "purple" is (murasaki). It is a adjective pronounced "moo-rah-sah-kee".

Listen to the pronunciation:

Pronunciation

紫 is written in kanji. Romanised as murasaki, it sounds roughly like "moo-rah-sah-kee" to an English ear.

Example sentence

その花は紫色に咲きました。

Sono hana wa murasakiiro ni sakimashita.

That flower bloomed purple.

Usage notes

Murasaki (紫) means purple. In historical Japan, purple was restricted to members of the imperial court and symbolized the highest social rank.

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Questions about 紫

How do you pronounce 紫?

紫 is romanised as murasaki. Say it roughly like "moo-rah-sah-kee" in English. Each Japanese syllable has even weight, so keep the rhythm steady.

Is 紫 formal or casual?

紫 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 紫 written in Japanese?

紫 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.