Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| 茶色い | chairoi | [t͡ɕa̠iɾo̞i] (narrow) |
| 褐色 | kasshoku | [ka̠ɕːo̞kɯ̟] (narrow) |
Japanese has several ways to express the color brown depending on whether you are using it as a descriptive adjective or a noun, and whether you need a formal or technical tone. 茶色い is a common way to describe objects, such as eyes or animals, as being brown. For the name Brown, such as a person's surname, use the transliteration ブラウン.
What does it mean word for word?
The noun 茶色 (chairo), which forms the basis of the adjective 茶色い, literally means "tea color".
Which one should you use?
There is a distinction between the adjective 茶色い and the noun 茶色. While 茶色い is an adjective used to describe nouns directly, 茶色 is a noun used to name the color itself. If you wish to use the noun 茶色 as an adjective to modify a noun, you should add the particle の to make it 茶色の. Additionally, 褐色 (kasshoku) is a more technical or formal term that often refers to darker, more saturated shades of brown or to skin tones.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
茶色い is an i-adjective used to describe nouns directly, for example, 茶色い犬 (a brown dog). If you use the noun form 茶色, you must use the particle の to modify a noun, resulting in 茶色の.
How do you pronounce it?
chairoi
Did you know?
- In Japanese, the term 褐色 (kasshoku) is frequently used in manga and anime to describe characters with 'tan' or 'dark' skin, rather than using the common word 茶色い.
- Because 茶色い is an i-adjective, it can be conjugated into a past tense form, 茶色かった, to say something 'was brown'.
- In ancient Japan, colors were often named after the plants or minerals they resembled, which is why brown is tied to tea rather than earth or wood.
Examples in context
- あの茶色いのも私のです。That brown one is mine, too.This sentence shows how to use 茶色い to identify a specific object.Tatoeba #230578 by tommy__san, translation #67945 by CK
- 彼女は茶色い目をしている。She has brown eyes.This sentence demonstrates using 茶色い to describe eye color.Tatoeba #2204364 by bunbuku, translation #315797 by mamat
- クッキーという茶色い犬を飼ってるよ。I have a brown dog named Cookie.This sentence illustrates using 茶色い to describe an animal.Tatoeba #10292319 by small_snow, translation #10292316 by CK
- Watashi no mizugi wa chairo desu. (私の水着は茶色です。)My swimsuit is brown.
- Chairo no isu ni suwatte kudasai. (茶色の椅子に座ってください。)Please have a seat on the brown chair.
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Misaki and Kenta are looking at a piece of clothing in a store.
- 美咲 Misakiこの茶色いコートはどうかな？Kono chairoi kōto wa dō kana?What do you think of this brown coat?
- 健太 Kentaいいと思うよ。似合ってるね。Ii to omou yo. Niatteru ne.I think it's good. It looks good on you.
- 美咲 Misaki本当？茶色い服はあまり持っていないから。Hontō? Chairoi fuku wa amari motte inai kara.Really? Because I don't have many brown clothes.
- 健太 Kenta今の季節にぴったりの色だよ。Ima no kisetsu ni pittari no iro dayo.It's the perfect color for this season.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “brown” translations and entries 茶色い, 褐色, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
