Glossary entry

Japanese term or phrase:

midori no kurokami (緑の黒髪)

English translation:

raven-black hair

Added to glossary by LEXICON KK
Apr 5, 2002 15:49
22 yrs ago
Japanese term

midori no kurokami (緑の黒髪)

Non-PRO Japanese to English Art/Literary
No context.
What does this mean? Why is the hair green? How can I use it?

Discussion

Non-ProZ.com Apr 5, 2002:
Meant to say "in Roman" instead.
Non-ProZ.com Apr 5, 2002:
Thanks mkj. I did some initial search but somehow I could not get it�c? Then, found out after seeing your comment that this question was indeed posted (in katakana) and answered here.
Sorry for the duplication. �J�I������ƃt�B������A���߂�Ȃ����B
I'll take care of this later anyway and please go easy on them, guys. Thanks

Proposed translations

+3
32 mins
Selected

raven-black hair

midori no kurokami (緑の黒髪) is a old-school Japanese term which has the meaning of "raven-black hair" in English. To be more specific, it has the nuance and meaning of "beautiful/polished/lustrous/glossy black-hair."

The reason why "midori" here is used, is because "midori" also has the secondary meaning of "黒くつやのある色。多く毛髪にいう。" Please take a look at the links for reference of this.

As for usage of the phrase, you can use it refer to people with beautiful black hair. Although, don't be surprised if the Japanese person doesn't know what you're talking about.
(^_^;
For it's not a commonly used word in today's younger generation where a good majority of the people have dyed their hair.


http://dictionary.goo.ne.jp/cgi-bin/dict_search.cgi?MT=�Фι�ȱ...

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Note added at 2002-04-05 19:13:42 (GMT)
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I didn¥'t notice the same question was posted two months ago.
Here is the link for that:

http://www.proz.com/?sp=h&eid_c=25114&id=144661&keyword=mido...
Peer comment(s):

agree Rick Noelle (X) : blurryeyes beat me to it. I agree. If you think about it, sometimes when you see a crow's wing at an angle you catch a glimpse of green.
50 mins
good point!
agree Eden Brandeis
1 hr
agree tmmmrt
2 hrs
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4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Thanks a lot, everyone. I hate to pick just one for grading, because your comments were all great. I liked Nao's coming from various aspects. I never thought about his last scenario. Mkj's educational one that it says this phrase just refers to woman was also very helpful, because I was about to misuse it. Thanks again. Randy"
1 hr

from nao, these are possible meanings,,,

1)"midori" is green, but also means black which is very shiny and rich black, not dull. this usage of term is mostly to express the appearance of the hair, how shiny and rich the black hair is.

2)"midori" could simply means color green. it could be "dyed green black hair".

3)"midori" is a common girl's name in japan. so it could be "midori(name)'s black hair".
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+1
3 hrs

lustrous black hair (of young women)

This question was posted and answered fairly recently by the way.

Why green? Becauase the color signifies fresh or young things in the Japanese language. Ex. Midorigo means a new-born baby. The color of spring is green, and this is when new life starts for many people: new beginning

Yes, the hair color in question is raven-black. My color-analyst friend told me that the color black has a lot of blue in it. I can also see some green in it from a certain angle. The color green has a lot of blue in it.

In the Japanese language, sometimes blue means green, as seen in the traffic signals; the Japanese call the green lights "ao shingou". They also say, "Kusaki ga aoaoto shigeru." for green plants and leaves. Sometimes, midori is a literary way of saying blue, too.

Anyway, this expression, midori no kurokami, is used only for YOUNG women who have a lot of shiny black hair. It must refer to the young, healthy (thus very black and shiny) hair of young women. Not for the old. Not for guys, while the expression "midorino kami" is used also for young guys in the old Japanese literature.

ref: Japanese dictionary
Iro no Techou, Shogakkan

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Note added at 2002-04-06 03:15:12 (GMT)
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Young women used to dream of having midorino korokami. You wouldn\'t see this expression being used much nowadays except in poems or lyrics. Enka songs might use this expression. Some retro-type ads might try to. Of course, if you have a girlfriend who has lustrous black hair, you can use it.

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Note added at 2002-04-06 03:42:58 (GMT)
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The fourth meaning of midori is luster according to my dictionary.
Peer comment(s):

agree ckawasaki : Too bad, this kind of poetic expression is not used anymore....
1 day 2 hrs
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