dye

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 染 has 9 strokes and refers to something taking on color or being given color.
• Basic usage: 染める is read そめる, and 染まる is read そまる.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Coloring something and becoming colored
  • 雲を鮮やかな赤に染めた means that the clouds were colored a vivid red. を marks what was colored, and に marks the resulting color.
  • 雲が赤く染まる describes clouds turning red. が marks what undergoes the color change.