KanjiGami
Remembering Kanji Made Easy.
17

Black

くろ (kuro), くろい (kuroi)

JLPT N4

Interesting Fact

⚫🥚 At Owakudani, a volcanic valley near Mount Fuji, eggs are boiled in sulfur-rich hot springs until their shells turn completely black. According to local legend, eating one black egg adds seven years to your life. Many visitors happily line up to test their luck. 🎁 Bonus Kanji Fact The ancient form of 黒 originally represented a window or opening with smoke rising from a fire beneath it. As the smoke darkened the surface above, the character came to represent the color black itself.

Memory Trick

🔥 The bottom looks like flames. The top looks like a large cooking pot. Imagine leaving the pot over the fire for too long until it becomes completely black with soot.

Readings

Onyomi: コク (koku)

Kunyomi: くろ (kuro), くろい (kuroi)

Example Words

くろ (kuro)
Black
黒い
くろい (kuroi)
Black (adjective)
黒板
こくばん (kokuban)
Blackboard
真っ黒
まっくろ (makkuro)
Pitch black

Example Sentence

彼は 黒い 車に 乗っています。

かれは くろい くるまに のっています。

kare wa kuroi kuruma ni notteimasu

He is riding in a black car.

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