Colors in German: Names, Pronunciation and Examples
Colors are some of the first words you need in German, because you use them to describe everything else: the red car, the blue sky, a black coffee. This page gives you every common color as it is used in a sentence, with audio from a native German voice, an example for each one, and the two rules that trip up English speakers: the ending a color takes in front of a noun, and the handful of colors that never change at all. The German word for color is die Farbe, and colors are die Farben.
The basic colors in German
These are the colors you will use every day. Each card shows the color as an adjective, which is the form you use to describe things, an English hint for the pronunciation, and one sentence you can say right away. Press the speaker to hear the word, or the small speaker to hear the whole sentence.
rotred
sounds like "roht", with a long o
Die Rose ist rot. (The rose is red.)
orangeorange
sounds like "o-RAHNG-zhe", the French way
never takes an endingDie Jacke ist orange. (The jacket is orange.)
gelbyellow
sounds like "gelp", the b sounds like p
Die Banane ist gelb. (The banana is yellow.)
grüngreen
sounds like "green" said with rounded lips
Das Gras ist grün. (The grass is green.)
blaublue
sounds like "blow", rhymes with "cow"
Der Himmel ist blau. (The sky is blue.)
lilapurple
sounds like "LEE-la"
never takes an endingDie Blume ist lila. (The flower is purple.)
rosapink
sounds like "ROH-za"
never takes an endingDas Kleid ist rosa. (The dress is pink.)
braunbrown
sounds like "brown", the same as English
Der Tisch ist braun. (The table is brown.)
graugray
sounds like "grow", rhymes with "cow"
Die Wolke ist grau. (The cloud is gray.)
schwarzblack
sounds like "shvarts"
Die Katze ist schwarz. (The cat is black.)
weißwhite
sounds like "vice"
Der Schnee ist weiß. (The snow is white.)
More colors you will meet
These come up in shops, in descriptions of clothes, and when someone talks about the sea or a sunset. Bunt is not a single color: it means colorful, made of many colors, and Germans use it a lot.
violettviolet
sounds like "vee-oh-LET"
Der Pullover ist violett. (The sweater is violet.)
türkisturquoise
sounds like "tuer-KEES"
Das Meer ist türkis. (The sea is turquoise.)
beigebeige
sounds like "bayzh", the French way
never takes an endingDie Wand ist beige. (The wall is beige.)
goldengolden
sounds like "GOL-den"
Der Ring ist golden. (The ring is golden.)
silbernsilver
sounds like "ZIL-bern"
Das Auto ist silbern. (The car is silver.)
buntcolorful
sounds like "boont"
Die Kinder malen ein buntes Bild. (The children paint a colorful picture.)
Light and dark: hell- and dunkel-
German does not say "light blue" as two words. It puts hell (light) or dunkel (dark) in front of the color and writes the result as one word. The pattern is the same for every color, so once you know it you can build the shade you need.
| Color | Light | Dark |
|---|---|---|
| blau (blue) | hellblau | dunkelblau |
| grün (green) | hellgrün | dunkelgrün |
| rot (red) | hellrot | dunkelrot |
| grau (gray) | hellgrau | dunkelgrau |
| braun (brown) | hellbraun | dunkelbraun |
Colors are adjectives: the ending changes
In German, a color is an adjective, and adjectives take an ending when they stand in front of a noun. After the verb sein (to be), nothing changes: Das Auto ist rot. In front of the noun, the ending depends on the article and the gender of the noun. You do not need to memorize the full table on day one. Start with -e after der, die, das, which covers most sentences, and add the rest as you meet them.
| German | English | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Das Auto ist rot. After sein (to be): no ending | The car is red. | After sein (to be): no ending |
| das rote Auto After der, die, das: -e | the red car | After der, die, das: -e |
| der rote Apfel After der, die, das: -e | the red apple | After der, die, das: -e |
| ein rotes Auto After ein, neuter noun: -es | a red car | After ein, neuter noun: -es |
| ein roter Apfel After ein, masculine noun: -er | a red apple | After ein, masculine noun: -er |
| eine rote Rose After eine, feminine noun: -e | a red rose | After eine, feminine noun: -e |
| die roten Äpfel Plural after die: -en | the red apples | Plural after die: -en |
Four common colors never take an ending, because they came into German from other languages: rosa, lila, orange and beige. So it is das rosa Kleid and eine lila Blume. You will hear Germans say orangene or lilane in conversation, but the standard written form has no ending.
Asking about colors
The question uses haben (to have), not sein: a thing "has" a color in German. The answer switches back to sein. The last line is the sentence you need in a clothes shop, and it shows the color as a noun with a capital letter.
| German | English | Note | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Welche Farbe hat das Auto? Literally "which color has the car" | What color is the car? | Literally "which color has the car" | |
| Das Auto ist rot. | The car is red. | ||
| Was ist deine Lieblingsfarbe? Informal, with du | What is your favorite color? | Informal, with du | |
| Meine Lieblingsfarbe ist grün. | My favorite color is green. | ||
| Haben Sie das auch in Blau? In a shop, formal | Do you have this in blue too? | In a shop, formal |
Colors as nouns: das Rot, das Blau
When the color itself is the topic, it becomes a noun. Every color noun is neuter, so it always takes das, and it is written with a capital letter. This is the form you see in the colors flashcards and in the games on this page, because there the color is the thing you are naming.
das Rot the color red
Das Rot der Ampel bedeutet Stopp. (The red of the traffic light means stop.)
das Blau the color blue
Das Blau des Himmels war unglaublich. (The blue of the sky was unbelievable.)
das Grün the color green
Grün steht dir gut. (Green suits you.)
das Schwarz the color black
Sie trägt gern Schwarz. (She likes wearing black.)
German idioms with colors
German uses colors in everyday expressions, and a few of them mean something very different from the English ones. Being blue in German has nothing to do with sadness, and riding black is about the ticket, not the train.
| German | English | Literally | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| blau sein Literally "to be blue" | to be drunk | Literally "to be blue" | |
| blaumachen Literally "to make blue" | to skip work or school | Literally "to make blue" | |
| schwarzfahren Literally "to ride black" | to ride without a ticket | Literally "to ride black" | |
| rot sehen | to see red, to get angry | ||
| grün hinter den Ohren sein Literally "green behind the ears" | to be inexperienced | Literally "green behind the ears" | |
| einen grünen Daumen haben | to have a green thumb | ||
| das Blaue vom Himmel versprechen Literally "to promise the blue of the sky" | to promise the moon | Literally "to promise the blue of the sky" | |
| sich schwarz ärgern Literally "to annoy yourself black" | to be furious | Literally "to annoy yourself black" |
Practice the colors with flashcards
Every color as a card. See the English, say the German, flip to check. Free, no signup.
Practice with games
These games load only the colors, so you can test yourself on this list alone. The picture game is the best place to start: you see a color and pick its German name.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the colors in German?
Are colors in German adjectives or nouns?
Do German colors change their ending?
How do you say light blue and dark blue in German?
How do you ask what color something is in German?
What is the difference between lila and violett?
What is the best way to learn colors in German?
Continue learning
Clothes and Appearance
The nouns you describe with colors: shirts, jackets, hair and eyes
Nature Vocabulary
Sky, grass, trees and flowers, the things that have a color
Der, Die, Das
How German articles work, which decides the ending on a color
German Numbers 0 to 100
The other beginner list with audio for every entry
Common German Phrases
Greetings, please and thank you, and the first questions you need
German Alphabet with Audio
Hear every letter, including ä, ö, ü and ß