白
しろ
hepburn shiro
white (noun)
Part of speech · noun
Pattern visualization
Examples
- 白と黒のコントラスト。Black-and-white contrast.
- 彼は白だと証明された。He was proven innocent.
Collocations
白 (shiro, white — noun)白い (shiroi, white — i-adj)白黒 (shirokuro, black-and-white)白旗 (shirohata, white flag — surrender)潔白 (keppaku, innocence/purity)
Mnemonic
白 shiro — noun "white", one of the four classical Japanese color terms. Legal metaphor: 白/黒 pair = innocent/guilty — "白だと証明された" = "proven white/innocent", echoing English "proven innocent". Onyomi はく / びゃく (haku / byaku): 白米 (hakumai, white rice), 告白 (kokuhaku, confession — "make it white/clear"). Color name → moral/truth abstraction.
Quick check
Etymology of 告白?