青い目
aoi me
The English phrase "blue eyes" is translated into Japanese as 青い目 (aoi me).
青い目 is used to describe eyes that have a blue color.
What does it mean word for word?
青い (aoi) means "blue" and 目 (me) means "eye" or "eyes".
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective 青い (aoi) modifies the noun 目 (me) directly. Because Japanese does not use plural markers for body parts in this way, 目 can mean either "eye" or "eyes" depending on the context.
How do you pronounce it?
aoi me
Did you know?
- Because blue eyes are extremely rare in Japan, the phrase 青い目 often functions as a visual shorthand for 'Westerner' or 'foreigner' in storytelling.
- While 青い目 describes the color blue, Japanese speakers often use the term 碧眼 (hekigan) in literature or formal contexts to specifically mean 'blue eyes'.
- The color 青い (aoi) can traditionally refer to both blue and green, which is why eye color descriptions can sometimes feel ambiguous to non-native speakers.
Examples in context
- 彼女は青い目をしている。She has blue eyes.Tatoeba #88328 by bunbuku, translation #472087 by CK
- ミリーは青い目をしています。Millie's got blue eyes.Tatoeba #11062046 by KK_kaku_, translation #11055876 by sundown
- 彼女は大きな青い目をしている。She has large blue eyes.Tatoeba #88039 by small_snow, translation #315668 by CK
- 3 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Kenta and Misaki are talking about a character in a novel.
- 健太 Kentaそのキャラクターは青い目をしているの？Sono kyarakutaa wa aoi me o shite iru no?Does that character have blue eyes?
- 美咲 Misakiうん、とても綺麗な青い目だよ。Un, totemo kirei na aoi me da yo.Yes, she has very beautiful blue eyes.
- 健太 Kenta美咲は、青い目が好きなんだね。Misaki wa, aoi me ga suki nanda ne.Misaki, you really like blue eyes, don't you?
- 美咲 Misakiそう、宝石みたいで素敵だと思う。Sou, houseki mitai de suteki da to omou.Yes, I think they are lovely, like gemstones.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
