Colors in Chinese: Basic Words, Useful Structures, and Examples
How to Say “Color” in Chinese
The word “color” in Chinese is 颜色 yánsè.
For example:
你喜欢什么颜色？
nǐ xǐhuan shénme yánsè?
What color do you like?
我喜欢蓝色。
wǒ xǐhuan lánsè.
I like blue.
Most color names in Chinese use the character 色 sè, which means “color.”
For example:
红色 hóngsè — red
蓝色 lánsè — blue
绿色 lǜsè — green
In spoken Chinese, 色 can sometimes be omitted, especially when the color comes before a noun.
Basic Colors in Chinese
红色 hóngsè — red
Red is especially important in Chinese culture. It is associated with luck, joy, and celebrations.
红色的衣服
hóngsè de yīfu
red clothes
我喜欢红色。
wǒ xǐhuan hóngsè.
I like red.
黄色 huángsè — yellow
黄色的花
huángsè de huā
yellow flowers
这辆车是黄色的。
zhè liàng chē shì huángsè de.
This car is yellow.
蓝色 lánsè — blue
蓝色的天空
lánsè de tiānkōng
blue sky
他买了一件蓝色的衬衫。
tā mǎi le yí jiàn lánsè de chènshān.
He bought a blue shirt.
绿色 lǜsè — green
绿色的茶
lǜsè de chá
green tea
春天的树都是绿色的。
chūntiān de shù dōu shì lǜsè de.
In spring, the trees are green.
白色 báisè — white
白色的裙子
báisè de qúnzi
a white skirt
我想买一双白色的鞋。
wǒ xiǎng mǎi yì shuāng báisè de xié.
I want to buy a pair of white shoes.
黑色 hēisè — black
黑色的包
hēisè de bāo
a black bag
他的头发是黑色的。
tā de tóufa shì hēisè de.
His hair is black.
灰色 huīsè — gray
灰色的裤子
huīsè de kùzi
gray trousers
今天的天空是灰色的。
jīntiān de tiānkōng shì huīsè de.
The sky is gray today.
粉色 fěnsè — pink
The full form is 粉红色 fěnhóngsè, but in spoken Chinese, the shorter form 粉色 is often used.
粉色的花
fěnsè de huā
pink flowers
她很喜欢粉色。
tā hěn xǐhuan fěnsè.
She really likes pink.
紫色 zǐsè — purple
紫色的裙子
zǐsè de qúnzi
a purple skirt
这个杯子是紫色的。
zhè ge bēizi shì zǐsè de.
This cup is purple.
棕色 zōngsè — brown
You may also come across the word 咖啡色 kāfēisè, literally “coffee color.”
棕色的桌子
zōngsè de zhuōzi
a brown table
我有一件棕色的外套。
wǒ yǒu yí jiàn zōngsè de wàitào.
I have a brown coat.
橙色 chéngsè — orange
Another common option is 橘色 júsè.
橙色的水果
chéngsè de shuǐguǒ
an orange fruit
这个包是橙色的。
zhè ge bāo shì chéngsè de.
This bag is orange.
How to Describe Objects with Colors
To place a color before a noun, we usually use the particle 的 de.
Structure:
color + 的 + noun
For example:
红色的裙子
hóngsè de qúnzi
a red skirt
蓝色的杯子
lánsè de bēizi
a blue cup
黑色的手机
hēisè de shǒujī
a black phone
In spoken Chinese, the particle 的 can sometimes be omitted:
红裙子
hóng qúnzi
a red skirt
白衬衫
bái chènshān
a white shirt
However, for beginners, it is easier to start with the full structure using 的.
How to Say What Color Something Is
To say what color an object is, you can use this structure:
object + 是 + color + 的
For example:
这本书是蓝色的。
zhè běn shū shì lánsè de.
This book is blue.
我的手机是黑色的。
wǒ de shǒujī shì hēisè de.
My phone is black.
她的裙子是红色的。
tā de qúnzi shì hóngsè de.
Her skirt is red.
Here, the particle 的 allows us not to repeat the noun at the end of the sentence.
The full structure could look like this:
她的裙子是红色的裙子。
But the word 裙子 is already clear from context, so it is replaced by 的:
她的裙子是红色的。
How to Ask “What Color?”
For this, we use the question phrase 什么颜色 shénme yánsè — “what color.”
这是什么颜色？
zhè shì shénme yánsè?
What color is this?
你的车是什么颜色的？
nǐ de chē shì shénme yánsè de?
What color is your car?
你喜欢什么颜色？
nǐ xǐhuan shénme yánsè?
What color do you like?
You can answer like this:
这是绿色的。
zhè shì lǜsè de.
This is green.
我的车是白色的。
wǒ de chē shì báisè de.
My car is white.
Light and Dark Shades
To describe shades of color, you can use the words 浅 qiǎn — “light” and 深 shēn — “dark.”
Structure:
浅 / 深 + color
For example:
浅蓝色
qiǎn lánsè
light blue
深蓝色
shēn lánsè
dark blue
浅绿色
qiǎn lǜsè
light green
深红色
shēn hóngsè
dark red
Example in a sentence:
我喜欢浅蓝色。
wǒ xǐhuan qiǎn lánsè.
I like light blue.
Useful Phrases with Colors
你最喜欢什么颜色？
nǐ zuì xǐhuan shénme yánsè?
What color do you like the most?
我最喜欢绿色。
wǒ zuì xǐhuan lǜsè.
I like green the most.
你喜欢红色的还是蓝色的？
nǐ xǐhuan hóngsè de háishi lánsè de?
Do you like the red one or the blue one?
这件衣服有别的颜色吗？
zhè jiàn yīfu yǒu bié de yánsè ma?
Does this item of clothing come in another color?
我想要黑色的。
wǒ xiǎng yào hēisè de.
I want the black one.
The last phrase is especially useful in a shop: you do not need to repeat the noun if it is already clear what item you are talking about.
How to Remember Colors Faster
It is better to learn colors not as a separate list, but together with objects and ready-made phrases:
红色的苹果 — a red apple
蓝色的天空 — blue sky
绿色的树 — a green tree
白色的衣服 — white clothes
黑色的包 — a black bag
You can also describe a few objects around you every day:
桌子是棕色的。
zhuōzi shì zōngsè de.
The table is brown.
杯子是白色的。
bēizi shì báisè de.
The cup is white.
This way, new words move into active speech faster. Start with the basic colors and immediately make short phrases with them. This will help you not only remember the vocabulary, but also learn to use it naturally in conversation.