顔色

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 顔色 is read as かおいろ and means “complexion” and “expression”.
• Basic usage: It denotes an actor’s pale complexion and reading another person’s expression while speaking.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• 顔色が青白い / 顔色をうかがう
  • 顔色が青白い concerns complexion, while 顔色をうかがう idiomatically means gauging someone’s reaction or mood.