Phrases
Colors in Esperanto – list and how to make shades
Learn a dozen colour roots and a few word parts, and you can name almost any shade.
Colours in Esperanto are adjectives ending in -a: ruĝa "red", blua "blue", verda "green", flava "yellow", nigra "black", blanka "white". Like other adjectives, they agree with their noun: ruĝa pomo "a red apple", ruĝaj pomoj "red apples". Word parts such as hel- "light" and -et- "-ish" turn these roots into any shade. Pronunciation guides split words into syllables, with the stressed syllable in capitals.
The main colours
| English | Esperanto | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| red | ruĝa | RU-ĝa |
| orange | oranĝa | o-RAN-ĝa |
| yellow | flava | FLA-va |
| green | verda | VER-da |
| blue | blua | BLU-a |
| purple, violet | viola | vi-O-la |
| crimson-purple | purpura | pur-PU-ra |
| pink | rozkolora or roza | roz-ko-LO-ra / RO-za |
| brown | bruna | BRU-na |
| grey | griza | GRI-za |
| black | nigra | NI-gra |
| white | blanka | BLAN-ka |
| golden | ora | O-ra |
| silver | arĝenta | ar-ĜEN-ta |
| turquoise | turkiskolora | tur-kis-ko-LO-ra |
Several colour words come from things. Oranĝa is related to oranĝo "orange (the fruit)", viola to violo "violet (the flower)", roza to rozo "rose", ora to oro "gold" and arĝenta to arĝento "silver". ReVo defines purpura as violet-red, the colour of the ancient dye purpuro, and viola as violet-coloured.
How to make shades
| Word part | Meaning | Example | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| hel- | light | helblua | light blue |
| malhel- | dark | malhelverda | dark green |
| -et- | -ish, weaker | ruĝeta | reddish |
| -eg- | intense | ruĝega | deep red, very red |
| pal- | pale | palflava | pale yellow |
| X + kolora | the colour of X | ĉielkolora, kafkolora | sky-coloured, coffee-coloured |
| two colours | a mix | bluverda, flavverda | blue-green, yellow-green |
| ĉiel-, mar- | like the sky, the sea | ĉielblua, marblua | sky blue, sea blue |
These are ordinary compounds: the last root is the main word, and what comes before describes it. Helblua is "light-blue", malhelruĝa "dark-red". Hela and malhela also stand alone: hela ĉambro "a bright room". The prefix mal- gives the opposite, so malhela "dark" is literally "un-light". More on word building, prefixes and suffixes.
The dictionary ReVo marks lila "lilac" as rare and quotes the advice to say helviola "light violet" instead.
One root, many words
Because a colour is a root, you can change its ending or add suffixes:
| Form | Example | English |
|---|---|---|
| noun -o | La ruĝo de la sunsubiro. | The red of the sunset. |
| adverb -e | Ŝi estis ruĝe vestita. | She was dressed in red. |
| -iĝi "become" | Li ruĝiĝis. | He blushed (turned red). |
| -igi "make" | Ŝi bluigis la muron. | She painted the wall blue. |
| -eco "quality" | la blankeco de la neĝo | the whiteness of the snow |
| -hara "-haired" | ruĝhara, grizhara | red-haired, grey-haired |
Colours in sentences
| Esperanto | English |
|---|---|
| Kiun koloron havas via aŭto? | What colour is your car? |
| Ĝi estas blua. | It's blue. |
| Kiu estas via plej ŝatata koloro? | What's your favourite colour? |
| Mi ŝatas la verdan koloron. | I like the colour green. |
| Mi aĉetis du nigrajn ŝuojn. | I bought two black shoes. |
| La ĉielo estas helblua. | The sky is light blue. |
Watch the endings: in du nigrajn ŝuojn, both words take plural -j and object -n. See nouns and adjectives.
The colour of Esperanto
Green has been the colour of the Esperanto movement since its early years. The Esperanto flag, adopted at the first World Congress in 1905, is green with a white square holding a green star, the verda stelo "green star". The green field is usually explained as a symbol of hope. See the flag and symbols of Esperanto.
Common questions
How do you say the colours in Esperanto?
The basic colours are ruĝa (red), oranĝa (orange), flava (yellow), verda (green), blua (blue), viola (purple), bruna (brown), griza (grey), nigra (black) and blanka (white).
How do you say "light blue" and "dark blue" in Esperanto?
Helblua is light blue and malhelblua dark blue. The same works for every colour: helverda, malhelverda, and so on.
What is "pink" in Esperanto?
Rozkolora "rose-coloured", or simply roza. The dictionary ReVo lists both.
Do colours change their ending in Esperanto?
Yes. As adjectives they add -j for plural and -n for the object, matching their noun: Mi vidas ruĝajn florojn – "I see red flowers".
Sources
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