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I don't know anything about Japanese, but if "aoi" is used to describe both the sky and unripe fruit, what makes linguists say that the correct translation for

by wdrw 10y ago

I don't know anything about Japanese, but if "aoi" is used to describe both the sky and unripe fruit, what makes linguists say that the correct translation for "aoi" is blue? Wouldn't it make more sense to say that "aoi" means "green/blue", i.e. a general term for both green and blue? Doesn't it make the relationship between the words "aoi" and "midori" the same as the relationship between the words "rectangle" and "square" - one is a superset of the other?

Grue3 10y ago
"Aoi" is listed as blue/green in dictionaries. It can also mean "pale" in some contexts. "Midori" is specifically green, there's also "mizuiro" (color of water) which is specifically light blue. Basically there are broad shades,but if you need to describe a specific color there is probably also a word for it.