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Japanese Colors

Third graders learn colors (いろ, iro) in Japanese — あか (aka, red), あお (ao, blue), きいろ (kiiro, yellow), and more — by matching each Japanese word to its color. Color words bring the language to life.

Grade 3Colors40 minutes1 class periodACTFL / World LanguagesExplicit teaching4 StandardsACTFL
Start the Lesson
Lesson at a Glance

Everything you need before the bell rings

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to…

  • ✓Say Japanese colors.
  • ✓Match words to colors.
  • ✓Name what you see.
  • ✓Use color words.
Essential Question

The world is full of color! How do you say red, blue, and yellow in Japanese?

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Lesson Phases
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Vocabulary Terms
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Standards Aligned
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Interactive Task
Match It · Interactive

Match the Color Word

Project this and match each Japanese color word to its color — tap the word, then tap the color.

🌈 Match each color word to its colorTry it
Japanese
Color
Now tap the color!
The Lesson · Language Flow (Warm-Up · Present · Practice · Speak · Reflect)

40 minutes, five moves

Tap any phase to open the teacher moves and student actions.

1

Warm-Up — A World of Color

5 min

The world is full of color — how do you say them in Japanese?

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Hold up a red object.
  • Ask its color in Japanese.
  • Set the goal.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Look.
  • Guess.
  • Get ready.
2

Present — Colors

11 min

Students learn.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Send students to Match the Color Word.
  • Match each one.
  • Say them aloud.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Match.
  • Say.
  • Repeat.
3

Practice — Practice

11 min

Students practice.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Name a color you see.
  • Point and say it.
  • Say your favorite.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Name it.
  • Point.
  • Say it.
4

Speak — Speak

9 min

Students speak.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Say “aka” for red things.
  • Name three colors.
  • Ask a partner’s favorite.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Say it.
  • Name it.
  • Ask.
5

Reflect — Reflect

4 min

Students close.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Name a color.
  • Say your favorite color.
  • Complete the exit ticket.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Name one.
  • Say it.
  • Complete the exit ticket.
Standards Alignment

Built to the standards you report on

Aligned to the ACTFL World-Readiness Standards for Learning Languages (Novice-Low).

ACTFL
Communication 1.2

Interpretive: understand color words.

ACTFL
Comparisons 4.1

Compare color vocabulary.

ACTFL
Connections 3.1

Connect to art & colors.

ACTFL
Communication 1.1

Interpersonal: name colors.

Differentiation

One lesson, every learner

Multilingual Learners

ELL / EMERGING READERS
  • Color cards with romaji.
  • Sentence frame: “___ is ___.”
  • Use real objects.

Support & Access

IEP / 504
  • Start with aka & ao.
  • Match one pair at a time.
  • Use color swatches.

Stretch & Extend

GIFTED / EARLY FINISHERS
  • Add shiro (white) & pinku (pink).
  • Describe classroom colors.
  • Play a color game.
Materials

What to gather

  • 📽️Screen / board
  • 🌈Color cards
  • 💻Match the Color Word
  • 🖍️Crayons
  • ✏️Notebooks
  • 🎫Exit-ticket slips
Vocabulary

Key terms — hover for a quick definition

いろ (iro)colorあか (aka)redあお (ao)blueきいろ (kiiro)yellowみどり (midori)greenくろ (kuro)blackしろ (shiro)whiteピンク (pinku)pink
Evaluate

Exit Ticket

Preview the three formative checks. Tap “Sample answer” to see what mastery looks like — hide them before you print for students.

QUESTION 1
How do you say “red” in Japanese?
あか (aka).
QUESTION 2
How do you say “blue”?
あお (ao).
QUESTION 3
What color is きいろ (kiiro)?
Yellow.

Reflect: colors.

Have students name three colors in Japanese by pointing to objects in the room. A printable Japanese colors sheet is in the World Languages library.

Study · Flashcards

Study the key terms

Tap a card to flip it, then rate whether you knew it. Built from this lesson’s vocabulary.

🃏 Japanese ColorsFlip
Card 1
Term
Tap to flip →
Meaning
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Nice work!

Practice · Quiz

Check your understanding

A quick self-check with instant feedback, drawn from this lesson’s key terms.

📝 Japanese ColorsQuiz
Score: 0
1 / 6
Question 1
0%

Nice work!

Practice · Worksheet

Printable worksheet

A print-and-go review sheet with a built-in answer key. Tap “Show answer key” to reveal answers, or print the clean version for students.

🖨️ Japanese ColorsPrint
Name: ________________________
Date: ____________

Part A · Write the word that matches each meaning

Word bank: あお (ao), あか (aka), いろ (iro), きいろ (kiiro), くろ (kuro), しろ (shiro), みどり (midori), ピンク (pinku)
  1. black
  2. red
  3. pink
  4. blue
  5. white
  6. color
  7. yellow
  8. green

Part B · Show what you learned

  1. How do you say “red” in Japanese?
  2. How do you say “blue”?
  3. What color is きいろ (kiiro)?
Answer key — Part A: 1) くろ (kuro) · 2) あか (aka) · 3) ピンク (pinku) · 4) あお (ao) · 5) しろ (shiro) · 6) いろ (iro) · 7) きいろ (kiiro) · 8) みどり (midori)
Part B: 1) あか (aka). 2) あお (ao). 3) Yellow.