Meaning and Usage
The adjective 赤い (あかい) means "red" and is used to describe objects, colors, or signals that are red in color. It is a common i-adjective taught at the beginner (N5) level.
Common Contexts
赤い is often used with fruits (like 赤いリンゴ), clothing (赤いドレス), and traffic signals (赤い信号). It can describe anything visibly red.
Collocations and Patterns
- 赤いリンゴ (red apple): a typical noun phrase describing red-colored fruit.
- 赤いドレス (red dress): common for clothing descriptions.
- 赤い信号 (red traffic light): used in everyday conversation about traffic rules.
Usage Notes
赤い is an i-adjective, so it conjugates accordingly (e.g., 赤くない for negative). Learners sometimes confuse 赤い with あからむ or あからさま, which have different meanings related to redness or obviousness but are not simple color adjectives.
Use 赤い to clearly and simply describe the color red in natural conversation.