What is the Kanji for "White"?

If you are wondering what is the Japanese Kanji for "White", you've come to the right place!

The Japanese Kanji for "White" is "白".

This kanji has 4 readings:

Its kunyomi readings are "Shiro" and "Shira".

Its onyomi readings are "Byaku" and "Haku".

kunyomi readings are based on the pronunciation of native Japanese words, and onyomi readings are based on the Chinese pronunciation of the character.

If you visually breakdown this kanji, you can see is made up of 2 parts:

The radical "丿" means "Katakana no" . And The kanji "日" means "Day" and "Sun" and can be read as "Jitsu", "Nichi", "Hi", and "Ka".

Now, let's make sure you understand this kanji the other way around too.

What does the kanji "白" mean in japanese?

"白" means "White".

Japanese School Students learn this kanji in First Grade, while foreigners may learn this kanji in preparation for the JLPT N5 exam.

Here are some words that use this kanji:

面白い: "Interesting". The Japanese adjective '面白い (おもしろい)' means 'interesting'. This word describes something that is fascinating, captivating or compelling. It can be used to describe a wide variety of things, from movies and books to hobbies and activities. For example: This book is really interesting - (この本はとても面白い). She has an interesting job - (彼女の仕事は面白い).

白い: "White". The adjective '白い (しろい)' means 'white'. It is used to describe something that has the color white. It can be used to describe objects, clothing, skin tone, and more. For example: The snow is white - (雪は白い). Her shirt is white - (彼女の服は白い).

真っ白: "Pure white". The adjectival noun '真っ白 (まっしろ)' means 'pure white'. This word is used to describe something that is a very bright, clean, and pristine white color. It conveys a sense of purity, cleanliness, and perfection. For example: The snow outside is pure white - (外は真っ白な雪でした). Her kimono was pure white - (彼女の着物は真っ白でした).

白: "White". The Japanese noun '白 (しら)' means 'white'. This noun refers to the color white, and can be used to describe objects, clothing, or other things that are the color white. For example: White shirt - (白いシャツ). The snow is white - (雪は白い).

青白い: "Pale". The Japanese adjective '青白い (あおじろい)' means 'pale'. This adjective is used to describe someone or something that has an unusually light or whitish complexion, often due to illness, fear or cold. It can be used to describe a person's face or skin. For example: She looked pale in the moonlight - (彼女は月光の中で青白かった). The patient's face was pale - (患者の顔は青白かった).

告白: "Confession". The Japanese noun '告白 (こくはく)' means 'confession'. This word refers to the act of openly declaring or admitting something, often something private or personal. It can be used to describe confessing one's feelings, mistakes, or transgressions. For example: I confessed my love to her - (彼女に自分の愛を告白した). He confessed to the crime - (彼は罪を告白した).

白髪: "White hair". The noun '白髪 (しらが)' refers to hair that has turned white or gray, typically due to aging. This is a very common phenomenon in humans as they grow older. 白髪 is often seen as a sign of maturity and wisdom. Examples: He has a lot of white hair - (彼はたくさんの白髪を持っている). My grandmother's hair is mostly white - (祖母の髪の毛はほとんど白髪だ).

白人: "White person". The Japanese noun '白人 (はくじん)' refers to a white-skinned person, particularly someone of European descent. It is a broad term used to describe the ethnic group characterized by light skin pigmentation. The term is often used in discussions about race, ethnicity, and cultural differences. For example: The white people at the party seemed to be enjoying themselves - (パーティーにいる白人は楽しんでいるようでした).

明白: "Obvious" or "Clear". The Japanese adjectival noun '明白 (めいはく)' means 'obvious' or 'clear'. It is used to describe something that is easy to perceive or understand, without any ambiguity. This word is often used to describe facts, evidence, or statements that are self-evident and indisputable. For example: The evidence is clear - (その証拠は明白だ). It's obvious that he is lying - (彼が嘘をついていることは明白だ).

白菜: "Cabbage". The Japanese noun '白菜 (はくさい)' refers to a type of cabbage with thick, white leaves that is commonly used in East Asian cuisine. It has a mild, sweet flavor and crunchy texture. '白菜' is often used in dishes like hot pot, stir-fries, and salads. For example: I bought some cabbage at the market - (私は市場で白菜を買いました). This dish is made with cabbage - (この料理は白菜を使っています).

白紙: "Blank". The noun '白紙 (はくし)' means 'blank'. This word refers to a sheet of paper that is completely empty, with no text or images on it. It suggests a clean slate, a fresh start, or an open possibility. For example: I started with a blank sheet of paper - (私は白紙から書き始めた). He handed me a blank contract to sign - (彼は私に白紙の契約書を渡した).

白線: "Line". The Japanese word '白線 (はくせん)' means 'line'. This noun refers to a white marking on a road or floor, usually used to separate lanes of traffic or denote specific areas. It is commonly seen on roads, in parking lots, on sports courts, etc. For example: The car is parked over the white line - (車は白線の上に停まっている). There are white lines on the basketball court - (バスケットコートには白線がある).

To make really sure you learn this Kanji, I've prepared an interactive lesson for you. You are going to learn the readings and meanings of this kanji.

But first, you need to know a little bit about Hiragana and Katakana.

Hiragana and katakana are japanese syllabaries, this means that each character represents a syllable.

This are the characters you need to know for this lesson:

The hiragana "び" is read as "bi". The hiragana "く" is read as "ku". The hiragana "は" is read as "ha". The hiragana "し" is read as "shi". The hiragana "ろ" is read as "ro". And The hiragana "ら" is read as "ra".

Heres a quick tutorial on how to use it. You'll be asked three type of questions: meaning, reading, and writing.

For meanings questions all you have to do is type the english meaning. If there is more than one meaning, you have to include them all in your answer separating them by commas (,).

For Reading questions you have to type the reading in romaji (roman letters, our normal alphabet) and it'll be automatically converted to hiragana if necessary. If there is more than one reading, you have to include them all in your answer separating them by commas (,).

For Writing questions some options will appear and all you have to do is select the correct ones.