What’s more beautiful than starting to learn a new language by learning its colors? Especially in Chinese, the representation of colors is very poetic. So if you’re learning basic Chinese vocabulary, don’t skip this article about colors in Chinese.

Colors in Chinese

Table of contents
  1. How do you say “colors” in Chinese?
  2. Colors in Chinese
    1. Phrases and Expressions with Colors
    2. The Origin of Chinese Color Names
    3. Memorization Cheat Sheet
  3. For More Information
  

How do you say “colors” in Chinese?

It’s important to mention that there are many compound words in Chinese that describe different nuances and nuances in color. That’s why you’ll find more than just the base colors included in this article. Each Chinese character represents a specific color, but those same characters can also mean something else based on context.

“Colors” in Chinese is 颜色 (yánsè). The word is made from the characters 颜 (yán), which means “face” or “appearance”, and 色 (sè), which means “color” and is added to the end of all the color names. Together, these characters form the word 颜色 (yánsè), which is used to speak about colors in general.

Colors in Chinese

Here is a list of colors in Chinese along with their pronunciation in pinyin (the official writing system used to represent Chinese sounds in the Latin alphabet) :

  • Black – 黑色 (hēisè)
  • White – 白色 (báisè)
  • Red – 红色 (hóngsè)
  • Blue – 蓝色 (lánsè)
  • Green – 绿色 (lǜsè)
  • Yellow – 黄色 (huángsè)
  • Orange – 橙色 (chéngsè)
  • Purple – 紫色 (zǐsè)
  • Pink – 粉红色 (fěnhóngsè)
  • Brown – 棕色 (zōngsè)
  • Grey – 灰色 (huīsè)
  • Gold – 金色 (jīnsè)
  • Silver – ​​银色 (yínsè)

To make sure your pronunciation is correct, watch this video by Mr Sun Mandarin. Listen well the first time he says the color, and practice pronouncing after Mr Sun the second and third time.

Phrases and Expressions with Colors

  • “What color is this?” translates to: “它是什么颜色的 ?” (tā shì shénme yánsè de ?)
  • “What is your favorite color?” is: “你最喜欢的颜色是什么 ?” (nǐ zuì xǐhuan de yánsè shì shénme ?)
  • “I like (the color)…” in Chinese is “我喜欢…” (wǒ xǐhuan…). For example : “I like red” translates to: “我喜欢红色” (wǒ xǐhuan hóngsè). “I like blue” becomes: “我喜欢蓝色” (wǒ xǐhuan lánsè).

In the last example sentences, we included to verb 喜欢 (xǐhuan) which means “to like,” followed directly by the color. You don’t need to add the word 颜色 (yánsè) meaning “color” in general, because of the presence of 色 (sè) that already exists at the end of each color name.

The Origin of Chinese Color Names

The color names in Chinese come from different sources, notably from nature, objects, emotions, and cultural features. Throughout history, the Chinese developed a rich tradition of associating colors with various things and concepts, leading to the formation of unique and meaningful color names.

Here are the origins of some colors in Chinese:

  1. Nature: many colors in Chinese are tied to natural elements like the sun, sky, planets, and minerals. For example, the color 红 (hóng), which is the first part of the color “red,” is associated with the setting sun or fire.
  2. Objects: colors can also be named in relation to objects that have the same color. For example: 蓝 (lán), which is the first part of the color “blue,” is associated with the color of the sky on a clear day.
  3. Precious Metals: the colors for “gold,” 金 (jīn), and “silver,” 银 (yín), are directly associated with their respective precious metal of gold and silver.
  4. Emotions and Cultural Symbolism: some colors are tied to a cultural or emotional meanings. For example, “red,” 红 (hóng), is associated with good luck and happiness. It’s also a widely used color for celebrations, like the Chinese New Year.
  5. Historical Traditions: In ancient times, colors were also associated with the 5 elements of Chinese cosmology (wood, fire, earth, metal, and water), which influenced the formation of the Chinese color names.

It’s important to note that cultural and symbolic associations to colors can vary based on region or other specific Chinese contexts.

Memorization Cheat Sheet

To help you memorize the colors, here is a cheat sheet you can reference a little every day. Each word is written in its Chinese character, followed by its transcription to help your pronunciation. Now all you have to do is get started! Good luck!

Colors in Chinese

For More Information

If you liked this article, you’ll also like this one: