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Kanji for Black

The kanji most commonly used for "Black" are 黒、玄、漆.

黒

Kanji that mean Black

  • 黒

    black, evil

    Also associated with foolish.

    Onyomi: koku Kunyomi: kuro, kuro.i, kuro.zumu 11 strokes Jōyō

  • 玄

    black, profound

    Also associated with distant.

    Onyomi: gen Kunyomi: kuro, kuro.i 5 strokes Jōyō

  • 漆

    lacquer, seven, black

    Onyomi: shitsu Kunyomi: urushi 14 strokes Jōyō

  • 黑

    black, dark

    Also associated with ignorant.

    Onyomi: koku Kunyomi: kuro, kuro.i 12 strokes Jinmeiyō

  • 墨

    ink, black

    Also associated with calligraphy.

    Onyomi: boku Kunyomi: sumi 14 strokes Jōyō

  • 黎

    black, many, dawn

    Onyomi: rei, ri Kunyomi: kuro.i 15 strokes Jinmeiyō

  • 烏

    crow, black

    Also associated with alas.

    Onyomi: o, u Kunyomi: izuku.nzo, karasu, nanzo 10 strokes Jinmeiyō

黒 is black, plainly — 黒い (black), 黒板 (blackboard), 真っ黒 (pitch black) — and like the English word it also carries the shady sense: 黒幕 is the figure behind the scenes, 腹黒い is black-hearted. 黑 is the same character in its older pre-reform shape, kept on the name list; it is not a separate word.

The rest name particular blacks. 漆 is lacquer, and 漆黒 is the jet black of a lacquered surface, the strongest word for black in ordinary use. 墨 is ink black, the black of ground calligraphy ink. 玄 is blackness as depth and obscurity rather than as a color, and it appears in 玄米 (unpolished rice), 玄関 (entrance hall) and 玄人 (kurōto, an expert).

黎 is dark almost only inside 黎明, first light, the moment the darkness breaks. 烏 is a crow, and reaches black through the bird; it is the character in 烏龍茶, oolong tea.

Kanji associated with Black

These carry black as a connotation rather than as their core meaning.

  • 炭

    charcoal, coal, carbon

  • 泥

    mud, dirt, sludge

  • 碁

    go

  • 煤

    soot, coal

Words using Black kanji

Everyday Japanese vocabulary built from the characters above.

  • 黒字 くろじ Listen (being in) the black; surplus; black letter
  • 玄関 げんかん Listen entrance; front door; entryway
  • 入れ墨 いれずみ Listen tattoo (esp. a traditional Japanese one); tattooing
  • 黒人 こくじん Listen black person
  • 玄米 げんまい Listen unpolished rice; unmilled rice; brown rice
  • お墨付き おすみつき Listen certificate; certified document; authorization
  • 黒海 こっかい Listen Black Sea
  • 玄人 くろうと Listen expert; professional; master
  • 黒星 くろぼし Listen black spot; black dot; bull's-eye

Before you use Black kanji

黒 is the character to use — read instantly, needing no explanation, though it shares English black's association with the underhanded. 漆 alone reads as lacquer, 烏 as crow, and 玄 as mysterious rather than black. 黑 is the old form of 黒, not a different word.

Other meanings to explore

See all kanji by meaning →

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