Color words are sneaky. You learn 紅色 hóngsè, “red,” and suddenly it appears everywhere: traffic lights, red envelopes, tea names, clothing tags, and the face of someone who just realized they ordered the extra-spicy noodles by accident.
For the broader learning path, visit our parent guide.
This guide teaches everyday Traditional Chinese color words with pinyin, English meanings, and real example sentences. The vocabulary is beginner-friendly, Taiwan-friendly, and practical enough for shopping, describing clothes, ordering drinks, talking about design, and surviving the glorious chaos of a night market.
Small win: most basic color words use 色 sè, meaning “color.” Very civilized. Mandarin occasionally behaves.
If colors are part of your bigger Mandarin plan, you may also like the broader Traditional Chinese vocabulary hub, the guide to Traditional Chinese adjectives, or the beginner path at Start Here.
How Color Words Work In Mandarin
In Mandarin, color words often work like adjectives. You can put them before a noun with 的 de, like 紅色的包包 hóngsè de bāobāo, “a red bag.” In casual speech, people sometimes drop 的 de when the phrase is short and natural, but beginners can safely use it.
| Pattern | Meaning | Example (ZH) | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Color + 的 + Noun | a color noun phrase | 紅色的車 | hóngsè de chē | a red car |
| Noun + 是 + Color | the noun is a color | 這台車是紅色的。 | Zhè tái chē shì hóngsè de. | This car is red. |
| Noun + 很 + Color | the noun is very / quite a color | 天空很藍。 | Tiānkōng hěn lán. | The sky is very blue. |
| Color + 一點 | a little more color / shade | 我想要深一點。 | Wǒ xiǎng yào shēn yìdiǎn. | I want it a little darker. |
Notice 一點 yìdiǎn, “a little.” Here 一 is pronounced yì because of tone change. Tone changes are Mandarin’s way of saying, “You thought spelling was enough? Cute.”
Basic Color Words
Start here. These are the color words you will hear constantly in Taiwan: in stores, at cafés, on the MRT, and in dramatic weather complaints.
| Traditional Chinese | Pinyin | Meaning | Example (ZH) | Example (Pinyin) | Translation (EN) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 白色 | báisè | white | 我想買白色的鞋子。 | Wǒ xiǎng mǎi báisè de xiézi. | I want to buy white shoes. |
| 黑色 | hēisè | black | 他今天穿黑色的外套。 | Tā jīntiān chuān hēisè de wàitào. | He is wearing a black jacket today. |
| 紅色 | hóngsè | red | 這個紅色的包包很可愛。 | Zhège hóngsè de bāobāo hěn kě’ài. | This red bag is very cute. |
| 藍色 | lánsè | blue | 我喜歡藍色的天空。 | Wǒ xǐhuān lánsè de tiānkōng. | I like the blue sky. |
| 綠色 | lǜsè | green | 那家店有綠色的招牌。 | Nà jiā diàn yǒu lǜsè de zhāopái. | That shop has a green sign. |
| 黃色 | huángsè | yellow | 這件黃色的雨衣很亮。 | Zhè jiàn huángsè de yǔyī hěn liàng. | This yellow raincoat is very bright. |
| 橘色 | júsè | orange | 我點了一杯橘色的果汁。 | Wǒ diǎn le yì bēi júsè de guǒzhī. | I ordered a cup of orange-colored juice. |
| 紫色 | zǐsè | purple | 她的手機殼是紫色的。 | Tā de shǒujī ké shì zǐsè de. | Her phone case is purple. |
| 粉紅色 | fěnhóngsè | pink | 妹妹想要粉紅色的氣球。 | Mèimei xiǎng yào fěnhóngsè de qìqiú. | My younger sister wants a pink balloon. |
| 灰色 | huīsè | gray | 今天的天空是灰色的。 | Jīntiān de tiānkōng shì huīsè de. | Today’s sky is gray. |
| 咖啡色 | kāfēisè | brown; coffee-colored | 我買了咖啡色的皮帶。 | Wǒ mǎi le kāfēisè de pídài. | I bought a brown belt. |
| 棕色 | zōngsè | brown | 這張棕色的桌子很漂亮。 | Zhè zhāng zōngsè de zhuōzi hěn piàoliang. | This brown table is beautiful. |
| 金色 | jīnsè | gold | 她戴金色的耳環。 | Tā dài jīnsè de ěrhuán. | She is wearing gold earrings. |
| 銀色 | yínsè | silver | 那台銀色的機車是我的。 | Nà tái yínsè de jīchē shì wǒ de. | That silver scooter is mine. |
Useful Shade And Style Words
Once you know the basic colors, shade words help you sound much less like a paint sample robot. These words are useful for clothes, hair dye, interior design, makeup, and asking a store clerk for “the same thing, but less aggressively orange.”
| Traditional Chinese | Pinyin | Meaning | Example (ZH) | Example (Pinyin) | Translation (EN) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 淺色 | qiǎnsè | light color | 夏天我比較常穿淺色的衣服。 | Xiàtiān wǒ bǐjiào cháng chuān qiǎnsè de yīfú. | In summer, I more often wear light-colored clothes. |
| 深色 | shēnsè | dark color | 上班時他喜歡穿深色的襯衫。 | Shàngbān shí tā xǐhuān chuān shēnsè de chènshān. | He likes wearing dark-colored shirts to work. |
| 亮色 | liàngsè | bright color | 亮色的帽子在人群裡很好找。 | Liàngsè de màozi zài rénqún lǐ hěn hǎo zhǎo. | A bright-colored hat is easy to find in a crowd. |
| 暗色 | ànsè | dark / muted color | 這間咖啡店用了很多暗色的木頭。 | Zhè jiān kāfēi diàn yòng le hěn duō ànsè de mùtou. | This café used a lot of dark-colored wood. |
| 淡色 | dànsè | pale color; soft color | 我想把牆壁漆成淡色。 | Wǒ xiǎng bǎ qiángbì qī chéng dànsè. | I want to paint the wall a pale color. |
| 鮮豔 | xiānyàn | bright; vivid | 夜市的招牌顏色很鮮豔。 | Yèshì de zhāopái yánsè hěn xiānyàn. | The signs at the night market are very vivid. |
| 柔和 | róuhé | soft; gentle | 這個房間的顏色很柔和。 | Zhège fángjiān de yánsè hěn róuhé. | The colors in this room are very soft. |
| 霓虹色 | níhóngsè | neon color | 那件霓虹色的外套太搶眼了。 | Nà jiàn níhóngsè de wàitào tài qiǎngyǎn le. | That neon jacket is way too eye-catching. |
| 螢光色 | yíngguāngsè | fluorescent color | 跑步時穿螢光色比較安全。 | Pǎobù shí chuān yíngguāngsè bǐjiào ānquán. | Wearing fluorescent colors while running is safer. |
| 彩色 | cǎisè | colorful; in color | 這台印表機可以印彩色照片。 | Zhè tái yìnbiǎojī kěyǐ yìn cǎisè zhàopiàn. | This printer can print color photos. |
| 單色 | dānsè | single color; monochrome | 我比較喜歡單色的設計。 | Wǒ bǐjiào xǐhuān dānsè de shèjì. | I prefer single-color designs. |
| 透明 | tòumíng | transparent | 這個透明的杯子很輕。 | Zhège tòumíng de bēizi hěn qīng. | This transparent cup is very light. |
| 半透明 | bàn tòumíng | translucent; semi-transparent | 浴室的門是半透明的。 | Yùshì de mén shì bàn tòumíng de. | The bathroom door is translucent. |
| 霧面 | wùmiàn | matte | 我想要霧面的手機殼。 | Wǒ xiǎng yào wùmiàn de shǒujī ké. | I want a matte phone case. |
| 亮面 | liàngmiàn | glossy | 亮面的皮鞋看起來很正式。 | Liàngmiàn de píxié kàn qǐlái hěn zhèngshì. | Glossy leather shoes look formal. |
Yak wisdom: If you forget the exact shade, use 深一點 shēn yìdiǎn, “a little darker,” or 淺一點 qiǎn yìdiǎn, “a little lighter.” It works in stores, salons, and awkward group design projects.
More Specific Color Names
These are not always the first words beginners learn, but they show up often in fashion, makeup, product descriptions, cafés, and online shopping. Taiwan Mandarin uses many of these in everyday commercial language.
| Traditional Chinese | Pinyin | Meaning | Example (ZH) | Example (Pinyin) | Translation (EN) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 米色 | mǐsè | beige | 米色的沙發看起來很乾淨。 | Mǐsè de shāfā kàn qǐlái hěn gānjìng. | The beige sofa looks very clean. |
| 象牙白 | xiàngyá bái | ivory white | 她選了象牙白的婚紗。 | Tā xuǎn le xiàngyá bái de hūnshā. | She chose an ivory white wedding dress. |
| 奶茶色 | nǎichá sè | milk tea color | 奶茶色的外套最近很流行。 | Nǎichá sè de wàitào zuìjìn hěn liúxíng. | Milk tea-colored coats are popular lately. |
| 酒紅色 | jiǔhóngsè | wine red; burgundy | 我媽喜歡酒紅色的包包。 | Wǒ mā xǐhuān jiǔhóngsè de bāobāo. | My mom likes burgundy bags. |
| 桃紅色 | táohóngsè | hot pink; peachy pink | 這件桃紅色的裙子很搶眼。 | Zhè jiàn táohóngsè de qúnzi hěn qiǎngyǎn. | This hot pink skirt is very eye-catching. |
| 玫瑰金 | méigu |
