青い
あおい
hepburn aoi
blue, green-blue (adj)
Part of speech · i-adjective
Pattern visualization
Examples
- 海は青いです。The sea is blue.
- 青い顔をしています。You look pale (blue-faced).
Collocations
青い (aoi, blue/green — i-adj)青くなる (aoku naru, turn blue/pale)青い顔 (aoi kao, pale face — alarmed)青空 (aozora, blue sky)青リンゴ (ao ringo, green apple)
Mnemonic
青い aoi — i-adjective, pairs with 赤い. Idiom 青い顔 = "blue face" = drained, pale (alarm, fear, pain). Parallels Korean "an-saek-i parahda" and English "pale as a sheet" — the body in shock. Second sense: "unripe/inexperienced", as in まだまだ青い (mada mada aoi, "still green/raw") for a novice. Color → body → character is the metaphor chain.
Quick check
Meaning of まだまだ青い when applied to a person?