Translation guide
Describes a light, soft shade of blue. In Japanese, this is most commonly expressed with the adjective 水色 (みずいろ), but other nuanced terms exist for specific contexts.
The most common way to describe something as pale blue in everyday conversation.
The standard word for pale blue or light blue. It is a noun that can be used adjectivally with の.
彼女は水色のワンピースを着ていた。
She was wearing a pale blue dress.
空が水色に染まっている。
The sky is tinged with pale blue.
Literally 'faint blue', this phrase emphasizes the paleness or lightness of the blue. It is slightly more descriptive than 水色.
淡い青の壁が部屋を明るく見せる。
The pale blue walls make the room look brighter.
Means 'light blue' or 'thin blue'. It is a straightforward way to describe a pale shade, but 水色 is more idiomatic for the specific hue.
薄い青のシャツを探しています。
I'm looking for a pale blue shirt.
When the pale blue has a slight greenish hue, like shallow seawater or certain gemstones.
A traditional Japanese color name for a pale blue-green, similar to celadon or light turquoise. It is used in artistic or literary contexts.
彼の着物は浅葱色で、とても上品だった。
His kimono was a pale blue-green and very elegant.
Describing a blue so light it is nearly white, like a winter sky or baby clothes.
Means 'extremely faint blue'. It emphasizes the near-whiteness of the color.
ごく淡い青の空に、雲が浮かんでいた。
Clouds floated in the very pale blue sky.
Literally 'whitish blue', this phrase describes a blue that has a white cast to it.
その花は白みがかった青で、とても繊細だった。
The flower was a whitish blue and very delicate.
水色 is a noun, so to describe something as pale blue, use 水色の + noun. For example, 水色の車 (a pale blue car).
青 (あお) means blue in general. 水色 specifically refers to a light, pale blue. If you just say 青い, it could be any shade of blue, so use 水色 when you want to be precise about the lightness.