The Meaning of shikisai [色彩] In Japanese

色彩
しきさい
Romaji: shikisai N2

What does 色彩 mean?

Translation and Meaning

color, colorfulness, coloring

Definition

色彩 denotes the color or chromatic quality of surfaces, objects, or scenes—the spectrum of hues and their perceived intensity.

Type

Noun (名詞)

Stroke Order

Meanings

  • Chromatic quality: the overall impression created by the colors of an object or scene.
  • Palette and harmony: the set or arrangement of colors used in art, design, or photography.
  • Vividness and decorative coloration: the richness or intensity of color, sometimes used metaphorically for liveliness or mood.

Etymology

Etymology 色彩 combines two kanji, 色 color and 彩 colorfulness or decoration, forming a native Japanese compound; the reading shikisai arises from the on’yomi of both characters in a common noun.

Origin

Color concepts entered Japanese through literary Chinese; in classical and modern usage 色彩 has been used to discuss chromatic quality in art, design, and natural description.

Composition

  • 色 — color, hue
  • 彩 — colorfulness, vividness, decoration
  • Together they express the idea of chromatic richness and the overall color quality of something

Usage

Used in formal and semi-formal discourse across art criticism, design, fashion, education, and journalism to describe color characteristics and palettes; common collocations include 色彩豊か, 色彩設計, and 色彩理論.
💡 Tips
Mnemonic: imagine a painter selecting a base color (色) and then adding decorative accents (彩); the image of a richly decorated palette helps recall the idea of colorfulness and chromatic richness.

Variations

  • 色合い (iroai) – hue, shade
  • 彩度 (sado) – saturation
  • 色味 (iromi) – color impression
  • 無彩色 (musaishiki) – achromatic color

Words with the same Meaning

Example Phrases

  • 今日は 部屋の 色彩 が とても きれいだ。
    Kyou wa heya no shikisai ga totemo kirei da.
    Today the room’s color scheme is very beautiful.
    Lista:
    • 今日は (kyou wa) – today
    • 部屋の (heya no) – of the room
    • 色彩 (shikisai) – color scheme
    • が (ga) – particle
    • とても (totemo) – very
    • きれいだ (kirei da) – is beautiful
    色彩 is a noun meaning ‘color scheme’; here 部屋の「色彩」 indicates the room’s color palette, stressing the overall coloring rather than a single color.
色彩