# Colors in Esperanto – list and how to make shades

Source: https://esperantopedia.org/phrases/colors/
Language: en
Updated: 2026-10-11

> Red is ruĝa, blue blua, green verda: all Esperanto colours with pronunciation, plus how hel-, malhel-, -et- and -kolora create any shade you need.

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](https://esperantopedia.org/grammar/word-building/), [prefixes](https://esperantopedia.org/grammar/prefixes/) and [suffixes](https://esperantopedia.org/grammar/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](https://esperantopedia.org/grammar/nouns-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](https://esperantopedia.org/about/flag-symbols/).

## 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

- [ReVo: ruĝa](https://reta-vortaro.de/revo/art/rugx.html), [blua](https://reta-vortaro.de/revo/art/blu.html), [verda](https://reta-vortaro.de/revo/art/verd.html), [flava](https://reta-vortaro.de/revo/art/flav.html)
- [ReVo: rozo, roza, rozkolora](https://reta-vortaro.de/revo/art/roz.html)
- [ReVo: violo, viola](https://reta-vortaro.de/revo/art/viol.html)
- [ReVo: purpuro](https://reta-vortaro.de/revo/art/purpur.html)
- [ReVo: oranĝo, oranĝa](https://reta-vortaro.de/revo/art/orangx.html)
- [ReVo: hela](https://reta-vortaro.de/revo/art/hel.html)
- [ReVo: lila](https://reta-vortaro.de/revo/art/lil.html)
- [ReVo: turkiso](https://reta-vortaro.de/revo/art/turkis.html)
- [Fundamento de Esperanto – grammar in English (adjectives)](https://www.akademio-de-esperanto.org/fundamento/gramatiko_angla.html)
- [Wikipedia: Esperanto symbols](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esperanto_symbols)