Colors in Chinese

 One of the first things we learn as children is the names of colors. In Mandarin Chinese, colors are a perfect gateway into the language.

In Chinese, colors are adjectives and follow a simple pattern: the color word comes before the noun it describes, just like in English. The key linking word is 的 (de) — placed between the color and the noun. For example: 红色的苹果 (hóng sè de píngguǒ) means "a red apple."

Here are the essential colors every beginner should know:

• Red — 红色 (hóng sè)
• Blue — 蓝色 (lán sè)
• Yellow — 黄色 (huáng sè)
• Green — 绿色 (lǜ sè)
• Black — 黑色 (hēi sè)
• White — 白色 (bái sè)
• Orange — 橙色 (chéng sè)
• Purple — 紫色 (zǐ sè)
• Pink — 粉色 (fěn sè)
• Brown — 棕色 (zōng sè)
• Gray — 灰色 (huī sè)
• Silver — 银色 (yín sè)

In everyday conversation, native speakers often drop 色 (sè) when the meaning is clear.

Using Colors in a Sentence

To describe an object, you generally use the following structure:

Noun + 是 (shì) + Color + 的 (de)

Examples:

• 苹果是红色的。 (Píngguǒ shì hóngsè de.) — The apple is red.

• 天是蓝色的。 (Tiān shì lán sè de.) — The sky is blue.

If you want to use the color as an adjective directly before the noun, you can drop the 色 (sè):

• 红苹果 (hóng píngguǒ) — Red apple.

• 白云 (bái yún) — White cloud.