The next Japanese color word on our list is “white“. I will show you 6 different ways to say “white” and the “color white” in Japanese. As usual, you will find the English translation, kanji, and hiragana for each word.
Shiro (白, しろ) is the basic Japanese word and kanji for the color white, while shiroi (白い, しろい) is a Japanese adjective that translates as “white”. As an alternative, the word hakushoku (白色, はくしょく) and the English loanword howaito (ホワイト) can be used to say “white” in Japanese.
For more information about each of the Japanese words shiro (白), shiroi (白い), hakushoku (白色), and howaito (ホワイト) check out the following section. I also cover how to say “pure white” and “snow white” in Japanese including the name of the famous Disney princess. Last but not least, you will find a list of words and translations that are often requested such as “white tiger“, “white dragon“, “white fox“, “white cat“, and “white day“.
How to Say “White” in Japanese
- shiro – 白
- shiroi – 白い
- hakushoku – 白色
- howaito – ホワイト
- masshiro – 真っ白
- seppaku – 雪白
- junpaku – 純白
1. Shiro – Basic Japanese Word & Kanji For The Color “White”
Shiro (白, しろ) is the basic Japanese noun and kanji for “white” and is best translated as the “color white“. The word is used when talking about colors in general and refers to the color white aka the color of fresh snow or milk.
It is also often used in names for animals or things that are normally white. Here are a couple of examples:
- white wine is shiro wine (白ワイン)
- white rabbit is shiro usagi (白うさぎ)
- white rose is shiro bara (白バラ)
- white cat is shiro neko (白猫)
Just like in English, the Japanese word for “white”, shiro (白) is also associated with a couple of other meanings such as “innocent“, “innocent person“, and “blank (white) space“.
shiro
白
white
white color
the color white
2. Shiroi – Japanese Adjective Which Translates as “White”
Shiroi (白い, しろい) is an i-adjective and the most commonly used word for “white” or to describe that something “is white” in Japanese. The adjective can be used to form sentences such as “… is white” which is 〇〇は白いです (〇〇 は しろい です) and “white …” which is 白い〇〇 (しろい 〇〇).
shiroi
白い
white
3. Hakushoku – Alternative Way to Say “White” in Japanese
Hakushoku (白色, はくしょく) is an alternative way to say “white” in Japanese. It is a noun that can be translated as “white color” or the “color white“. However, it can also be used as an adjective by adding the particle no (の) and saying hakushoku no (白色の〇〇) which translates as “white …“.
hakushoku
白色
white
white color
An alternative and less commonly used way to read the kanji 白色 (hakushoku) is “shiroiro“.
shiroiro
白色
white
white color
4. Howaito – English Loanword Meaning “White”
Howaito (ホワイト) is an English loanword for “white” or the “color white“. While it could be used to talk about colors with your Japanese friends and colleagues, it is more commonly found in anime, manga, and video games in order to have a cool-sounding name for places, monsters, spells, and/or heroes.
It is also sometimes used for animals. “White tigers” are often called howaito taigaa (ホワイトタイガー) and “white wolves” are also sometimes referred to as howaito urufu (ホワイトウルフ) instead of shiro ookami (白狼) or shiroi ookami (白い狼).
howaito
ホワイト
white
5. Masshiro – Japanese Word For “Pure White”
The Japanese word for “pure white” is masshiro (真っ白, まっしろ). You should use the word when you want to say that something is or looks “pure white” or when you want to describe that something is “completely white“. Masshiro (真っ白) is a na-adjective that can also be used with the particle no (の).
masshiro
真っ白
pure white
completely white
extremely white
You might remember the first kanji from makkuro (真っ黒), the Japanese word for “pitch black”.
6. Seppaku – Japanese Word for “Snow White”
Seppaku (雪白, せっぱく) and junpaku (純白, じゅんぱく) are two Japanese words with the same meaning and can be translated as “snow white” and “pure white“. The first kanji of the word seppaku (雪白) literally means “snow” while the first kanji of junpaku (純白) translates as “pure” or “innocent“.
junpaku
純白
pure white
snow white
The word seppaku (雪白) can also be translated as “pure” or “immaculate” and it has an alternative reading which is “yukijiro“.
seppaku
雪白
snow white
pure
immaculate
The famous Disney princess “Snow White“, on the other hand, is called shirayukihime (白雪姫, しらゆきひめ) or sometimes sunoo howaito (スノーホワイト) in Japanese. The original Japanese name shirayukihime (白雪姫) literally translates as “white snow princess”.
shirayukihime
白雪姫
Snow Whitesunoo howaito
スノーホワイト
Snow White
Popular Japanese Words Containing the Word “White”
| white tiger | byakko howaito taigaa | 白虎 ホワイトタイガー |
| white wolf | shiro ookami shiroi ookami howaito urufu | 白狼 白い狼 ホワイトウルフ |
| white cat | shiroi neko shiro neko | 白い猫 白猫 |
| white dragon | hakuryuu | 白龍 |
| white fox | shirogitsune | 白狐 |
| white flower | shiroi hana | 白い花 |
| white rose | shiro bara shiroi bara | 白バラ 白いバラ |
| white dog | shiroi inu | 白い犬 |
| white rice | hakumai | 白米 |
| white day | howaito dee | ホワイトでー |
| white rabbit | shiro usagi | 白うさぎ |
