Let's learn about various color-related words in Korean! You will see the nouns first and then some adjectives where those names came from! You can also get a flashcard set and a free printable PDF worksheet!
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1. Color Nouns
'Color' in Korean is 색 [saek] or 색깔 [saek-ggal]. The color names will end with '00색'. However, some words have versions without the word '색'. If you are a beginner, I recommend focusing on the color names listed first for each one.
Level 1
Let's start with commonly used words. You will see the colors of a rainbow (무지개) and achromatic colors.
무지개색 rainbow colors
Red: 빨간색, 빨강
Orange: 주황색, 주황
Yellow: 노란색, 노랑
Green: 초록색, 초록
Blue: 파란색, 파랑, (Chinese influenced) 청색
Indigo: 남색
Purple: 보라색, 보라, (Chinese influenced) 자색, 자주색
무채색 achromatic colors
Black: 검은색, 검정, (Chinese influeced) 흑색
White: 하얀색, 흰색, 하양 (Chinese influenced) 백색
Gray: 회색
Level 2
Here are more various colors for you!
Pink: 분홍색, 분홍
↪ These days, people also use 핑크 or 핑크색 which came from the English word 'pink.'
Brown: 갈색, 밤색
Scarlet (orange close to red): 주홍, 주홍색
↪ 홍 means 'red' in the Sino-Korean.
Ivory: 상아색
Apricot color: 살구색
↪ This color used to be called 살색. '살' means flesh or skin, so literally a flesh tone or color. However, there are many skin colors in the world, so people start to call it 살구색.
Yellow-green (light green): 연두색
Skyblue: 하늘색
↪ 하늘 means 'sky'. So it literally means sky color.
Blue-green (turquoise): 청록색
Navy blue: 감청색, 네이비블루, 네이비
↪ You will see the version '네이비' more often than '감청색' when you buy purchase clothes.
Gold: 금색
Silver: 은색
Level 3
If you add an extra word to a color name, you can describe dark or light. When a color is deeper or darker, you will add the word 진 [jin] that came from 진하다 (thick, dark, deep). When a color is lighter, add the word 연 [yeon] that came from 연하다 (light, soft, pale). Here are some examples.
Dark pink: 진분홍
Pale pink: 연분홍
Dark yellow: 진노랑
Pale yellow: 연노랑
Dark blue: 진파랑
Pale blue: 연파랑
Deep purple: 진보라
Pale purple: 연보라
2. Color adjectives
A. Various color adjectives
Not all, but some color names actually have the 'root' they are from. Technically, 빨간색 means 'red color', a combination of an adjective and a noun. The adjective 'to be red' directly describes the noun 색 (color). Here are the color-related adjectives!
빨갛다 (to be) red
노랗다 (to be) yellow
파랗다 (to be) blue
하얗다 (to be) white
검다 (to be) dark, black
Can you see what is common in the words? If you look at the stem, most of them end with the final consonant ㅎ. When they directly describe the noun '색', you will erase ㅎ and put ㄴ instead.
빨갛다 to be red → 빨갛 → 빨가 → 빨간 → 빨간색 red color
That is why, there are so many colors that have "ㄴ n" in their final consonant like 노란색, 파란색, 하얀색.
검다 doesn't have the final consonant ㅎ, so you need to attach '은' to the stem.
검다 to be dark → 검 → 검은 → 검은색 dark color (black)
Some people may attach '색' to the versions without 색. For example, red is 빨강 or 빨간색, but you may encounter the word 빨강색. This version is technically wrong. 빨강 itself is already the full word meaning 'red color'. So, there is no need to attach 색. If you do, it will mean 'red color color' which is redundant!
B. Use of color adjectives
When you talk about color like "Your face is red!" there are two ways to say so. One is using a noun, the other is using an adjective.
Using a noun: 얼굴이 빨간색이에요. Your face is red (color).
Using an adjective: 얼굴이 빨개요. Your face is red.
Using a noun: 하늘이 파란색이에요. The sky is blue (color).
Using an adjective: 하늘이 파래요. The sky is blue.
A Korean adjective can work like a verb, coming at the of the sentence (the predicate part). If you want to know how to conjugate an adjective, please click here to read my other post!
3. Examples
I'll show you some good expressions and sentences to use in real life.
1
Q: 이게 무슨 색이에요? What color is this?
A: 청록색이에요. It's turquoise.
↪ 이게 is a daily conversation form of the word 이것이 which means "this". 무슨 색 means "what color".
2
Q: 이게 한국말로 무슨 색이에요? What color is this in Korean?
A: 남색이에요. It is called nam-saek.
↪ 한국말 or 한국어 both means Korean language. If you want to ask how to say it in Korean, attach "한국말로" or "한국어로", in Korean.
3
Q: 무슨 색을 좋아해요? What color do you like?
A: 저는 하늘색하고 초록색을 좋아해요. I like sky blue and green.
↪ 좋아해요 is a verb meaning 'like'. You can ask others' favorite color like in the first sentence! What color do you like? Can you answer in Korean?
4
Q: 영미 씨, 얼굴이 빨개요. 괜찮아요? Youngmi, your face is red. Are you okay?
A: 아니요. 조금 아파요. No, I am a little sick.
↪ 얼굴 means a 'face'. You can use an adjective to say 'is red'.
4. Wrap-up & Materials: Colors in Korean
You've learned various colors in Korean. Try to memorize the words that end with 색 first. Here are some materials you can use to study.
Flashcard: The very basic important 17 words are in the set!
Worksheet
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