I read Japanese colors are adjectives and nouns. When would you use a color as a noun?

Question

Are they treated as nouns only when they're not adjectives or something? I just wanted to know when they're used as nouns. Thanks.

Answer 1

Colors are used as nouns and adjectives at the same time as English colors. Where as English has one word for "red", Japanese has a different word when refering to "red" as an adjective or a noun

For example
赤 (aka)- red (n)　赤い (akai) - red(adj)
青 (ao)- blue (n) 青い (aoi) - blue (adj)
白 (shiro )- white (n)　白い(shiroi) - white (adj)
黒 (kuro) - black (n)　黒い(kuroi) - black (adj)

*not all colors have an adjective form. To make an adjective of these one needs to add "no" の
緑 (midori) - green (n)
黄色 (kiiro) - yellow (n)
紫 (murasaki) - purple (n)

Answer 2

Japanese adjectives can be used as nouns just like they can be used as nouns in English (and probably any other language). However, it's not the most common thing. The person who wrote (or said) what you are asking was probably referencing the fact that the kanji for the colors are, essentially, nouns and have i added after them to turn them into adjectives.

Answer 3

Some Japanese colors have both noun and adjective forms. (Actually, English ones do, too, they just aren't as obvious)

Ex.: I like (the color) red. 赤が好きだ。(Here, as a noun, 'red' is 'aka'.)
My sweater is red. 僕のセーターが赤い。 (Here, as an adjective, 'red' is 'akai'.)

In short, as adjectives, they all end in 'i'.

Other colors in this category include 'blue' (青・青い), yellow (黄色・黄色い), black (黒・黒い), and white(白・白い). (Note that this list may not be exhaustive.)

Other colors are technically only nouns as they come from the names of objects (like 'gold') or they are borrowed words.

Ex.: I like the color gold. 金色が好きだ。(Here, as a noun, 'gold' is 'kin'iro', literally 'gold color'.)
My sweater is gold. 僕のセーターは金色だ。(Here, as a predicate nominative, 'gold' is still "kin'iro'.)
This is a gold sweater. これは金色のセーターだ。(Here, as an 'adjectivized noun', 'gold' is 'kin'irono'.)

In short, native Japanese colors in this group include 'iro' (color) when used after the noun they are describing, but borrowed color words are used as is. Nevertheless, Japanese or borrowed, all add 'irono' (color's) when preceding the noun they describe. Other colors in this category include 'green'(緑色・緑色の), 'brown'(茶色・茶色の), 'pink'(ピンク・ピンク色の), 'purple'(紫色・紫色の), and 'orange'(オレンジ・オレンジ色の), to name just a few.

Answer 4

In this case, i think kiiro is not special , diffrent from other colors. you can replace other colours instead of kiiro. For example: ringo wa aka desu. jitensha wa aka desu. jitensha wa akai desu. taiyou wa aka desu >When they showed a picture of a single bike they said "jitensha wa kiiro desu" and when it was more than one it was "jitensha wa kiiroi desu" wrong. i dosent matter if is single or plural good luck.