白い
しろい · shiroi · JLPT N5 · i-adj
white
🥚🦢 shiro = white: shiromi is egg white, shirokuma is a polar bear
白 is the kanji for white; the い ending makes it an adjective. The same shiro appears in shiromi (egg white) and shirokuma (white bear = polar bear), so one root unlocks several words.
白 — pictograph; resembles 日 (sun) with a stroke on top
白 is generally considered a pictograph, traditionally explained as depicting the sun rising with a ray of light above it, hence the meaning 'white' or 'bright.' Some scholars instead see it as a drawing of a thumbnail or an acorn. From 'bright' it extended to 'clear,' 'plain,' and 'to state plainly.'