I believe you get to understand how to use concrete nouns which means colors. Almost all collor names belong to them and we sometimes create new one as we feel in our mind. If you make somothing new, too, the vocabulary may become much more rich!
However, as I mentioned before, these concrete nouns of collors except for several examples sound to be a little too poetic. We actually come across them in a novel or a poetry, but we prefer more abstract nouns not to be limited by their meanings or impressions of original things in daily conversation and a strict thesis.
Today, I will explain the third type of color names, specific abstract nouns. We usually use them more. They can be "noun + の" simply. Please see the following list;
* "ピンク色" is very rare.
You can see four Japanese words and four borrowed words from English.
Once the former nouns indicated other concrete things, but they do not remind us of their origins any more today. We need not distinguish these color names to their original things or matters.
Long time ago, "緑（みどり：midori：green）" meant to be fresh and young. It expressed new, young creatures to be fresh and vivid. We have a few elegant literary words remained today, "嬰児（みどりご)"** and "緑の黒髪（みどりのくろかみ）". "みどりご" means a new born infant. A baby changes green to red in Japan!? Ancient people appreciated the pretty baby and its life. Also, "緑の黒髪" is a praise for a young woman's beautiful hair. Her very black hair sometimes seems to be deep-green-glossed slightly, reflexed by light. It is the very proof of her youth and beauty.
I think that ancient people might have wanted to adapt this word to the color of fresh leaves, too, and moreover, they gradually forgot almost all of original meaning itself, "みどり" came to indicate only green at last instead. However, we can find out the みどり's nature within a new made word which only green is given among all colors in modern days. That is "新緑（シンリョク：shinryoku）"***, or new, fresh, green leaves. We often use it at the beginning of a letter in May now. We have forgetten the original meaning of "みどり" at all today, but green is always a good friend with new or fresh.
In my imagination, every process of them have relation with blue. As some people knows, actually "青い（あおい：aoi：blue）" used to have much more wide territory than today and it sometimes has not meant only blue but also green traditionally. I would like you to remember that "青い(blue)" meant some dull, not clear colors in ancient ages. People might have wanted to regard young leaves as more positive, better by borrowing another word, "みどり". Today, "青い" usually means blue and "緑" always means green.
"紫（むらさき：murasaki：purple）", "紺（コン：kon：navy blue）" and "臙脂（エンジ：enji：dark red）" are from the field of dyeing. They are based on dyeing materials or at least, their relative terms. Average people first recognize these nouns as names of colors before knowing their origins.
"紫" or "紫草（むらさきぐさ／むらさきソウ：murasaki gusa/murasaki so-）" is the name of dyer's-weed. A dyer uses its powdered rout to make his materials purple.
"紺" is the deepest blue of those dyed with indigo and the most popular colors of school uniforms, but I do not know the original meaning because even if my dictionary does not tell me the truth! All the fact I understand is that the left side part of "紺" shows us "糸（いと：ito：thread or yarn）", which means clearly that "紺" is from something dyeing or textile.
"臙脂" is very difficult Kanji, isn't it? I got to know the strict spelling just now. We usually write "えんじ" or "エンジ". I have read that "臙脂" was from the name of mountain, "燕支山（エンジサン／エンジザン：enjisan/enjizan）"**** in China, which was famous for a safflower-producing area.
"緑", "紫", "紺" and "えんじ" actually have the other meanings, but we are rarely consious of it. They do not always remind us their origins. In this sense, these are abstract words which suggest only each colors. We never mistake these color names for their concrete origins themselves, so, we often skip "色" to use them more simply. Of course, "緑色", "紫色", "紺色" and "えんじ色" are not wrong and we sometimes use them actually. However, we often prefer "緑", "紫", "紺" and "えんじ" especially in daily conversation.
** This is a very special way of reading of Kanji. We usually read "えいじ(eiji/e-ji)" for "嬰児" with the Chinese style pronunciation, but the Japanese style one is "みどりご". The Kanji is not the same to "緑" but the meaning is actually "みどり", to be fresh.
*** "リョク" is on'yomi, the Chinese style pronunciation of "緑".
**** "エンジサン" and "エンジザン" are actually Chinese style pronunciations but are not the same as modern Chinese ones themselves. Please remember the Chinese STYLE pronunciations are Japanese pronunciations, too. They were translated to Japanese sounds in ancient days. Only styles are Chinese.
Thank you very much for reading my poor English!
If you have a question, ask me!
However, as I mentioned before, these concrete nouns of collors except for several examples sound to be a little too poetic. We actually come across them in a novel or a poetry, but we prefer more abstract nouns not to be limited by their meanings or impressions of original things in daily conversation and a strict thesis.
Today, I will explain the third type of color names, specific abstract nouns. We usually use them more. They can be "noun + の" simply. Please see the following list;
| 緑（みどり：midori） | 緑色（みどりいろ：midori iro） | green |
| 紫（むらさき：murasaki） | 紫色（むらさきいろ：murasaki iro） | purple |
| 紺（コン：kon） | 紺色（コンいろ：kon iro） | navy blue |
| 臙脂（エンジ：enji） | 臙脂色（エンジいろ：enji iro） | dark red |
| オレンジ（オレンジ：orenji） | オレンジ色（オレンジいろ：orenji iro） | orange |
| ピンク（ピンク：pinku） | * ピンク色（ピンクいろ：pinku iro） | pink |
| アイボリー／アイヴォリー（アイボリー：aibori-） | ― | ivory-colored |
| グレー（グレー：gure-） | ― | gray |
| グリーン（グリーン：guri-n） | ― | green |
* "ピンク色" is very rare.
You can see four Japanese words and four borrowed words from English.
Once the former nouns indicated other concrete things, but they do not remind us of their origins any more today. We need not distinguish these color names to their original things or matters.
Long time ago, "緑（みどり：midori：green）" meant to be fresh and young. It expressed new, young creatures to be fresh and vivid. We have a few elegant literary words remained today, "嬰児（みどりご)"** and "緑の黒髪（みどりのくろかみ）". "みどりご" means a new born infant. A baby changes green to red in Japan!? Ancient people appreciated the pretty baby and its life. Also, "緑の黒髪" is a praise for a young woman's beautiful hair. Her very black hair sometimes seems to be deep-green-glossed slightly, reflexed by light. It is the very proof of her youth and beauty.
I think that ancient people might have wanted to adapt this word to the color of fresh leaves, too, and moreover, they gradually forgot almost all of original meaning itself, "みどり" came to indicate only green at last instead. However, we can find out the みどり's nature within a new made word which only green is given among all colors in modern days. That is "新緑（シンリョク：shinryoku）"***, or new, fresh, green leaves. We often use it at the beginning of a letter in May now. We have forgetten the original meaning of "みどり" at all today, but green is always a good friend with new or fresh.
In my imagination, every process of them have relation with blue. As some people knows, actually "青い（あおい：aoi：blue）" used to have much more wide territory than today and it sometimes has not meant only blue but also green traditionally. I would like you to remember that "青い(blue)" meant some dull, not clear colors in ancient ages. People might have wanted to regard young leaves as more positive, better by borrowing another word, "みどり". Today, "青い" usually means blue and "緑" always means green.
"紫（むらさき：murasaki：purple）", "紺（コン：kon：navy blue）" and "臙脂（エンジ：enji：dark red）" are from the field of dyeing. They are based on dyeing materials or at least, their relative terms. Average people first recognize these nouns as names of colors before knowing their origins.
"紫" or "紫草（むらさきぐさ／むらさきソウ：murasaki gusa/murasaki so-）" is the name of dyer's-weed. A dyer uses its powdered rout to make his materials purple.
"紺" is the deepest blue of those dyed with indigo and the most popular colors of school uniforms, but I do not know the original meaning because even if my dictionary does not tell me the truth! All the fact I understand is that the left side part of "紺" shows us "糸（いと：ito：thread or yarn）", which means clearly that "紺" is from something dyeing or textile.
"臙脂" is very difficult Kanji, isn't it? I got to know the strict spelling just now. We usually write "えんじ" or "エンジ". I have read that "臙脂" was from the name of mountain, "燕支山（エンジサン／エンジザン：enjisan/enjizan）"**** in China, which was famous for a safflower-producing area.
"緑", "紫", "紺" and "えんじ" actually have the other meanings, but we are rarely consious of it. They do not always remind us their origins. In this sense, these are abstract words which suggest only each colors. We never mistake these color names for their concrete origins themselves, so, we often skip "色" to use them more simply. Of course, "緑色", "紫色", "紺色" and "えんじ色" are not wrong and we sometimes use them actually. However, we often prefer "緑", "紫", "紺" and "えんじ" especially in daily conversation.
** This is a very special way of reading of Kanji. We usually read "えいじ(eiji/e-ji)" for "嬰児" with the Chinese style pronunciation, but the Japanese style one is "みどりご". The Kanji is not the same to "緑" but the meaning is actually "みどり", to be fresh.
*** "リョク" is on'yomi, the Chinese style pronunciation of "緑".
**** "エンジサン" and "エンジザン" are actually Chinese style pronunciations but are not the same as modern Chinese ones themselves. Please remember the Chinese STYLE pronunciations are Japanese pronunciations, too. They were translated to Japanese sounds in ancient days. Only styles are Chinese.
Thank you very much for reading my poor English!
If you have a question, ask me!
Japanese expressions of colors (1) four adjectives (1)
Japanese expressions of colors (5) specific concrete nouns (3)
Japanese expressions of colors (7) specific abstract nouns (2)
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