Color in Chinese, just like when learning other languages, is one of the first topics to learn. It helps language learners to make more vivid descriptions even while using basic Chinese.
In this article, you will learn about different colors in Chinese, the cultural meaning behind them, and how to use them in daily life.
The Meaning of Colors in Chinese Culture
In every language, colors have their special cultural meaning, and even more so in Chinese. Almost every color in Chinese has a significance or a special meaning. On some occasions, you can recognize the theme from the color. For this reason, you need to be aware of the meanings behind them when using colors in Chinese.
Red – 紅色 (Hóng Sè)
Represents passion and excitement and sometimes evil and prohibited matters in western culture. Meanwhile in Chinese culture, red represents good luck, happiness, and celebration. Red is always used in traditional Chinese weddings and Chinese New Year. For example, during Chinese New Year or at Chinese weddings money is put in a red envelope. These envelopes are handed to young children or newlyweds to wish them good luck and happy life. In contrast, money put in white envelopes is seen at funerals and given to the bereaved.
White – 白色 (Bái Sè)
In western culture white means purity and peace. However, in Chinese culture, it is sometimes used as the color of solemn and death and worn at funerals.
Black – 黑色 (Heī Sè)
Black in Chinese culture is considered to represent bad luck.
Green – 綠色 (Lǜ Sè)
Green in many cultures represents nature and the environment, and sometimes jealousy in western culture. However, in Chinese culture, it also might imply being cheated on in some content.
Yellow – 黄色 (Húang Sè)
Yellow represents happiness and hope, but in Chinese culture, it is also used to imply sexuality, and sometimes pornography.
Gold & Silver – 金色 (Jīn Sè) & 银色 (Yín Sè)
Gold and silver represent fortune in Chinese culture. They are often used when celebrating. The combination of gold and red is used only by ancient Chinese emperors, to show their fortune, which might sound cheesy in current times.
Learn the Basics of Colors in Chinese
| Color | Pinyin | Simplified Chinese | Traditional Chinese |
| White | BáiSè | 白色 | 白色 |
| Black | HeīSè | 黑色 | 黑色 |
| Gray | HuīSè | 灰色 | 灰色 |
| Red | HóngSè | 红色 | 紅色 |
| Blue | LánSè | 蓝色 | 藍色 |
| Green | LǜSè | 绿色 | 綠色 |
| Yellow | HúangSè | 黄色 | 黄色 |
| Orange | JúSè | 橘色 | 橘色 |
| Purple | ZǐSè | 紫色 | 紫色 |
| Gold | JīnSè | 金色 | 金色 |
Adjectives for Color in Chinese
浅蓝色 – Qiǎn lán sè – Light blue
深绿色 – Shēn Lǜ Sè- Dark green
暗红色 – Àn Hóng Sè- Dark red
暖色调的 – Nǔan Sè Dìao De- In warm color tone
冷色调的 – Lěng Sè Dìao De- In cool color tone
鲜艳的 – Xīan Yèn De- Bright
暗淡的 – Àn Dàn De- Dull
荧光的 – Yíng Gūang De- Neon
彩虹 – Caǐ Hóng- Rainbow
雾面的 – Wù Mìan De- Matte
How to Describe Objects & Example Sentences
There are two basic ways to describe the colors of objects in Chinese. The first way is we take away the ‘色‘(Sè) from the color, and put it in front of the object. The second way is to put a ‘的‘ between the color and the noun.
白花 – (Baí Hūa): White flower
那裡有朵小白花。( nà lǐ yǒu duǒ xiǎo bái huā. ) There is a small white flower over there.
红衣 – (Hóng Yī): Red top
那件红衣很适合你。 (Nà Jìan Hóng Yī Hěn Shì Hé Nǐ) That red top suits you well.
蓝天 – (Lán Tīan): Blue sky
今天的蓝天很漂亮。(Jīn Tīan De Lán Tīan Hěn Pìao Lìang) The blue sky today is really beautiful today.
黑猫 – (Heī Māo): Black cat
我有一只黑猫。 (Wǒ Yǒu Yì Zhī HeAi Māo) I have a black cat.
绿叶 – (Lǜ Yè): Green leaf
我需要一些绿叶来装饰。(Wǒ Xū Yào Yì Xīe Lǜ Yè Laí Zhūang Shì) I need some green leaves for decoration.
黄色的帽子 – (Húang Sè De Mào Zi): Yellow hat
他戴着黄色的帽子。(Tā Daì Zhe Húang Sè De Mào Zi) He is wearing a yellow hat.
金色的包 – (Jīn Sè De Bāo): Golden bag
我买了金色的包。（Wǒ Maǐ Le Jīn Sè De Bāo) I bought a golden bag.
橘色的杯子 – (Jú Sè De Beī Zi): Orange cup
请使用那个橘色的杯子。（Qǐng Shǐ Yòng Nà Ge Jú Sè De Beī Zi) Please use that orange cup.
紫色的鞋子 – (Zǐ Se De Xíe Zi): Purple shoe
最近流行紫色的鞋子。(Zuì Jìn Líu Xíng Zǐ Sè De Xíe Zi) Purple shoes are trendy now.
灰色的裤子 -（Huī Sè De Kù Zi): Gray pants
请问那件灰色的裤子多少钱。(Qǐng Wèn Nà Jìan Huī Sè De Kù Zi Dūo Shǎo Qían) How much are those gray pants?
Tips to Learn Color in Chinese
If it is difficult for you to memorize all the colors, here are some tips to help you.
- Always connect the name of a color to a specific object.
For example, if you remember 绿叶(Lǜ Yè/ green leaf), you will connect 绿(Lǜ) to green because leaves are always green!
- Keep reviewing/using what you learned in your mind.
When you go grocery shopping and see all the fruit, try to say their colors in your mind and see if you get it! After all, learning a language is all about using it, so connecting what you learnt with your daily life is always important!
Have a Colorful Chinese Learning Experience!
In this article, we learned how to say some colors in Chinese and how to use them with objects and their cultural significance.
If you find it interesting to learn how to describe things in Chinese, you may also like to read colors in Japanese, to know more about East Asian culture.
Learning Chinese might be really difficult in the beginning because of all the characters and tricky pronunciation due to tones. so to start with, learning with a tutor will be a great choice. AmazingTalker is a language learning platform that helps you find the right online Chinese tutor among many other languages. You can have a lesson plan specifically tailored for you!
