Meaning

Primary

Black

Word Type

い adjective

Explanation

This is a single kanji with an on the end, meaning you know it's probably an adjective. What's the adjective form of black? It's also black. Special Note: The noun version of black also exists in Japanese. It is just with the same pronunciation, but minus the which makes it adjective-tastic.

Reading

くろい
  • Kyoko
    (Tokyo accent, female)
  • Kenichi
    (Tokyo accent, male)

Explanation

Since this word consists of a kanji with hiragana attached, you can bet that it will use the kun'yomi reading. You didn't learn that reading with this kanji, so here's a mnemonic to help you:

Think of black things. One very common black thing is the common crow (くろ). Associate those two together.

Context

Patterns of Use

Common Word Combinations

  • 黒いもの

    black thing

    黒い色

    black color

    黒い雨

    black rain, rain following a nuclear explosion

Context Sentences

黒いペン、下さい。

A black pen, please.

今夜のパーティーは、黒いドレスで行こうと思う。

I'm thinking of going to the party tonight in a black dress.

ペットの犬の毛が黒いので、うちには白い羊毛のセーターが有りません。

Since our pet dog's fur is black, we do not have any white wool sweaters.

Kanji Composition