red

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: The on readings are せき and しゃく, and the kun readings are あか, あかい, あからむ, and あからめる. It has 7 strokes and relates to the basic meaning of the color red.
• Basic usage: 赤 is read あか, and 赤い is read あかい.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• 赤 / 赤い
  • 赤 means red. It is a noun read あか. It is the color name red and can be followed by particles in forms such as 赤に or 赤で.
  • 信号が赤に変わったので立ち止まった。 means “The signal turned red, so I stopped.”
  • 赤い means red. It is an i-adjective read あかい. It directly modifies a noun or serves as a predicate to describe something as red.
  • 庭に赤い実がたくさんなっている。 means “Many red berries are growing in the garden.”