All things this world have specific colors, and people often borrow heavily from the names of things when they express some colors. In the Japanese language, too, almost all names of colors are based on specific nouns as well as in your language. We usually add "色 (iro:color)" to the name of original thing in order to distinguish the name of color from the original thing itself in Japanese. For example, we call pale and a little cold pink which resembles the color of "sakura", or cherry blossoms, "sakura iro". Please look at the following list;
"橙色" is one of the Japanese traditional names and we actually can find it out in a crayon box, but we sometimes prefer "オレンジ色" or "オレンジ", the borrowed word from English, in daily conversation now, especially younger people. (I will explain "オレンジ" again in the later article)
"きつね色" is usually used only in cooking such as "鶏肉をきつね色になるまで炒めます(toriniku/keiniku wo kitsune iro ni naru made itame masu, please fry the chicken to be yellow brown)". You can use this name of color when you explain that some food looks very delicious. We usually do not write "狐色" with Kanji but prefer "きつね色" or "キツネ色". The reason I think is that the Kanji character "狐(kitsune)" resembles "孤" which means "solitude" or "isolation"-- bad meaning.
You can simply write with Hiragana, "すみれ" and "ねずみ" instead of "菫" and "鼠" because these Kanji are so difficult that even if Japanese people sometimes cannot write them exactly.
Also, I would like you to pay attention to pronunciations of "金色（キンいろ：kin iro）" and "銀色（ギンいろ：gin iro）". Please do not touch your tongue at the upper part of your inner mouth when you pronounce "n", and please separate "n" and "i" in order not to speak "きにろ" and "ぎにろ".
Can you understand the way of making names of colors?
Novelists and poets sometimes create new names of colors as they feel. However, I must tell you that some of the names listed above sounds to be a little poetic. We sometimes come across the names such as "桜色"or "空色" in novels, but we rarely use it and we often prefer more abstract words in daily conversation (I will tell you them in the later article). The names of colors that we speak in conversation are "黄土色""きつね色""水色""藍色""灰色""ねずみ色""金色" and "銀色" and some delicate women sometimes use "クリーム色" and "レモン色".
When we use these names of colors to explain some nouns directly, they need the particle "の(no)" which represent the possessive case or an attribute. You can say "水色の本（mizu iro no hon）" for a "pale blue book". The followings are explaining a book:
I would not like you to say "狐色の本", it sounds to be strange or to be very unique literary expressions at least.
Please look at "金色の" and "銀色の". If you explain a book which color is just gold or silver, you can say "金色の本" or "銀色の本". However, if you explain a necklace and say "金色のネックレス" or "銀色のネックレス", it suggest the necklace are not made of precious metal but only their color is gold or silver. If you want to mention the material, you should say "金のネックレス" or "銀のネックレス".(How does the English distinguish them?) Also, if you say "藤の本" instead of "藤色の本", the book explains a lot of wisteria.
Thank you for reading !
P.S.
I have corrected the way of reading a few words from Hiragana to Katakana, on 13rd June 2011：
藍 あい → アイ
灰 はい → ハイ
| クリーム（クリーム：kuri-mu：cream） | クリーム色（クリームいろ：kuri-mu iro） | cream |
| レモン（レモン：remon：lemon） | レモン色（レモンいろ：remon iro） | lemon yellow |
| 山吹（やまぶき：yamabuki：kerria） | 山吹色（やまぶきいろ：yamabuki iro） | golden yellow |
| 橙（だいだい：daidai：bitter orange） | 橙色（だいだいいろ：daidai iro） | orange |
| オレンジ（オレンジ：orenji：orange） | オレンジ色（オレンジいろ：orenji iro） | orange |
| 黄土（オウド：o-do：loess） | 黄土色（オウドいろ：o-do iro） | yellow ocheｒ |
| 狐（きつね：kitsune：fox） | 狐色（きつねいろ：kitsune iro） | yellow brown |
| 紅（べに：beni：safflower or rouge） | 紅色（ベニいろ：beni iro） | deep red |
| 桃（もも：momo：peach blossom） | 桃色（ももいろ：momo iro） | pink |
| 桜（さくら：sakura：cherry blossom） | 桜色（さくらいろ：sakura iro） | pale pink |
| 菫（すみれ：sumire：violet） | 菫色（すみれいろ：sumire iro） | violet |
| 藤（ふじ：fuji：wisteria） | 藤色（ふじいろ：fuji iro） | light purple |
| 水（みず：mizu：water) | 水色（みずいろ：mizu iro） | pale blue |
| 空（そら：sora：sky） | 空色（そらいろ：sora iro） | sky blue |
| 藍（アイ：ai：indigo） | 藍色（アイいろ：ai iro） | indigo-blue |
| 灰（ハイ：hai：ash） | 灰色（ハイいろ：hai iro） | gray |
| 鼠（ねずみ：nezumi：mouse） | 鼠色（ねずみいろ：nezumi iro） | dark gray |
| 金（キン：kin：gold） | 金色（キンいろ：kin iro） | gold |
| 銀（ギン：gin：silver） | 銀色（ギンいろ：gin iro） | silver |
"橙色" is one of the Japanese traditional names and we actually can find it out in a crayon box, but we sometimes prefer "オレンジ色" or "オレンジ", the borrowed word from English, in daily conversation now, especially younger people. (I will explain "オレンジ" again in the later article)
"きつね色" is usually used only in cooking such as "鶏肉をきつね色になるまで炒めます(toriniku/keiniku wo kitsune iro ni naru made itame masu, please fry the chicken to be yellow brown)". You can use this name of color when you explain that some food looks very delicious. We usually do not write "狐色" with Kanji but prefer "きつね色" or "キツネ色". The reason I think is that the Kanji character "狐(kitsune)" resembles "孤" which means "solitude" or "isolation"-- bad meaning.
You can simply write with Hiragana, "すみれ" and "ねずみ" instead of "菫" and "鼠" because these Kanji are so difficult that even if Japanese people sometimes cannot write them exactly.
Also, I would like you to pay attention to pronunciations of "金色（キンいろ：kin iro）" and "銀色（ギンいろ：gin iro）". Please do not touch your tongue at the upper part of your inner mouth when you pronounce "n", and please separate "n" and "i" in order not to speak "きにろ" and "ぎにろ".
Can you understand the way of making names of colors?
Novelists and poets sometimes create new names of colors as they feel. However, I must tell you that some of the names listed above sounds to be a little poetic. We sometimes come across the names such as "桜色"or "空色" in novels, but we rarely use it and we often prefer more abstract words in daily conversation (I will tell you them in the later article). The names of colors that we speak in conversation are "黄土色""きつね色""水色""藍色""灰色""ねずみ色""金色" and "銀色" and some delicate women sometimes use "クリーム色" and "レモン色".
When we use these names of colors to explain some nouns directly, they need the particle "の(no)" which represent the possessive case or an attribute. You can say "水色の本（mizu iro no hon）" for a "pale blue book". The followings are explaining a book:
| name of color + "no" | meaning | example |
| クリーム色の（クリームいろの：kuri-mu iro no） | cream | クリーム色の本 |
| レモン色の（レモンいろの：remon iro no） | lemon yellow | レモン色の本 |
| 山吹色の（やまぶきいろの：yamabuki iro no） | golden yellow | 山吹色の本 |
| 橙色の（だいだいいろの：daidai iro no） | orange | 橙色の本 |
| オレンジ色の（オレンジいろの：orenji iro no） | orange | オレンジ色の本 |
| 黄土色の（オウドいろの：o-do iro no） | yellow ocher | 黄土色の本 |
| *狐色の（きつねいろの：kitsune iro no） | *yellow brown | |
| 紅色の（べにいろの：beni iro no） | deep red | 紅色の本 |
| 桃色の（ももいろの：momo iro no） | pink | 桃色の本 |
| 桜色の（さくらいろの：sakura iro no） | pale pink | 桜色の本 |
| 菫色の（すみれいろの：sumire iro no） | violet | 菫色の本 |
| 藤色の（ふじいろの：fuji iro no） | light purple | 藤色の本 |
| 水色の（みずいろの：mizu iro no） | pale blue | 水色の本 |
| 空色の（そらいろの：sora iro no） | sky blue | 空色の本 |
| 藍色の（アイいろの：ai iro no） | indigo-blue | 藍色の本 |
| 灰色の（ハイいろの：hai iro no） | gray | 灰色の本 |
| 鼠色の（ねずみいろの：nezumi iro no） | dark gray | 鼠色の本 |
| 金色の（キンいろの：kin iro no） | golden | 金色の本 |
| 銀色の（ギンいろの：gin iro no） | silvery | 銀色の本 |
I would not like you to say "狐色の本", it sounds to be strange or to be very unique literary expressions at least.
Please look at "金色の" and "銀色の". If you explain a book which color is just gold or silver, you can say "金色の本" or "銀色の本". However, if you explain a necklace and say "金色のネックレス" or "銀色のネックレス", it suggest the necklace are not made of precious metal but only their color is gold or silver. If you want to mention the material, you should say "金のネックレス" or "銀のネックレス".(How does the English distinguish them?) Also, if you say "藤の本" instead of "藤色の本", the book explains a lot of wisteria.
Thank you for reading !
P.S.
I have corrected the way of reading a few words from Hiragana to Katakana, on 13rd June 2011：
藍 あい → アイ
灰 はい → ハイ
Japanese expressions of colors (1) four adjectives (1)
Japanese expressions of colors (2) four adjectives (2)
Japanese expressions of colors (4) specific concrete nouns (2)
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