A Linguistic Rainbow: Mastering Colors in Arabic

Ever wondered how colors can paint the world a whole new shade when you switch up the language? If so, let’s expand your knowledge! Today, we’ll explore the beautiful names of different colors in Arabic. And spoiler alert: it’s way more than just green, blue, and red. So whether you’re a language learner or a culture vulture, buckle up, and let’s jump right in!

Naming Colors in Arabic

If you are already familiar with our blog, you must know that we always start with the basics. And, of course, we’ll do the same thing right now. Here are the most common names for every basic color in Arabic.

• بنفسجي (Banafsaji) – [ba.nafs.aˈd͡ʒiː] – Purple in Arabic.

تتحب أختي ارتداء الفستان البنفسجي في المناسبات الخاصة. (Tuḥibbu ʾukhtī ʾirtidāʾ al-fustān al-banafsajī fī al-munāsabāt al-khāṣṣa.) – My sister loves to wear the purple dress on special occasions.

كانت السماء تضيء بلون بنفسجي عند غروب الشمس. (Kānat as-samāʾ tuḍīʾ bi-lawn banafsajī ʿinda ghurūb ash-shams.) – The sky was lit with a purple hue at sunset.

• أزرق (ʾAzraq) – [ˈʔaz.raq] – Blue in Arabic.

البحر الأزرق يبدو رائعًا في الصباح الباكر. (Al-baḥr al-ʾazraq yabdū rāʾiʿan fī aṣ-ṣabāḥ al-bākir.) – The blue sea looks amazing early in the morning.

اشتريت حقيبة ظهر زرقاء جديدة للمدرسة. (Ishtaraytu ḥaqībat ẓahr zarqāʾ jadīda lil-madrasa.) – I bought a new blue backpack for school.

• أخضر (ʾAkhdar) – [ˈʔax.dˤar] – Green in Arabic.

الأشجار خضراء وجميلة في فصل الربيع. (Al-ʾashjār khuḍrāʾ wa-jamīla fī faṣl ar-rabīʿ.) – The trees are green and beautiful in spring.

أكلت سلطة مكونة من الخضار الطازجة. (ʾAkaltu salata mukawwina min al-khuḍār aṭ-ṭāzija.) – I ate a salad made of fresh green vegetables.

• أصفر (ʾAsfar) – [ˈʔas.far] – Yellow in Arabic.

الورود الصفراء تعطي الحديقة لمسة مشرقة. (Al-wurūd aṣ-ṣafrāʾ tuʿṭī al-ḥadīqa lamsa mushriqa.) – The yellow flowers give the garden a bright touch.

الليمون الأصفر مليء بالفيتامينات المفيدة. (Al-laymūn al-ʾaṣfar malīʾ bi-l-fītāmināt al-mufīda.) – The yellow lemon is full of beneficial vitamins.

• برتقالي (Burtuqālī) – [bur.tˤuˈqaː.liː] – Orange in Arabic.

البرتقال فاكهتي المفضلة لأنها منعشة وصحية. (Al-burtuqāl fākihatī al-mufaḍḍala liʾannahā munʿisha wa-ṣiḥiyya.) – Oranges are my favorite fruit because they are refreshing and healthy.

كان الفستان البرتقالي يلفت الأنظار في الحفلة. (Kāna al-fustān al-burtuqālī yalfit al-anẓār fī al-ḥafla.) – The orange dress was catching everyone's attention at the party.

• أحمر (ʾAḥmar) – [ˈʔaħ.mar] – Red in Arabic.

السيارة الحمراء الجديدة سريعة جدًا. (As-sayyāra al-ḥamrāʾ al-jadīda sarīʿa jiddan.) – The new red car is very fast.

الورد الأحمر رمز للحب والرومانسية. (Al-ward al-ʾaḥmar ramz li-l-ḥubb wa-ar-rūmānsiya.) – The red rose is a symbol of love and romance.

• بني (Bunnī) – [bunˈniː] – Brown in Arabic.

الكلب البني يلعب في الحديقة. (Al-kalb al-bunnī yalʿab fī al-ḥadīqa.) – The brown dog is playing in the garden.

الشوكولاتة البنية لذيذة للغاية. (Ash-shūkūlātah al-bunniya ladhīdha li-l-ghāya.) – The brown chocolate is extremely delicious.

• أبيض (Abyad) – [ˈʔab.jad] – White in Arabic.

الغرفة البيضاء تبدو نظيفة ومشرقة. (Al-ghurfa al-bayḍāʾ tabdū naẓīfa wa-mushriqa.) – The white room looks clean and bright.

يرتدي الطبيب معطفًا أبيض أثناء العمل. (Yartadī aṭ-ṭabīb miʿṭafan ʾabyaḍ ʾathnāʾ al-ʿamal.) – The doctor wears a white coat while working.

• أسود (Aswad) – [ˈʔas.wad] – Black in Arabic.

الليل الأسود يغمر المدينة بالهدوء. (Al-layl al-ʾaswad yaghmur al-madīna bi-l-hudūʾ.) – The black night envelops the city in calmness.

أحب قراءة الكتب ذات الغلاف الأسود. (ʾUḥibbu qirāʾat al-kutub dhāt al-ghilāf al-ʾaswad.) – I love reading books with a black cover.

7

Arabic Colors: Shades and Hues

Do you think that’s all? Of course not! Look around you – we are almost sure that you’ll see way more than some basic primary and secondary colors. That’s because our bright world consists of numerous tones, hues, and shades. And we are about to tell you how to call them in Arabic.

• وردي (Wardī) – [warˈdiː] – Pink in Arabic.

الزهور الوردية تملأ الحديقة في الربيع. (Az-zuhūr al-wardiyya tamlaʾ al-ḥadīqa fī ar-rabīʿ.) – The pink flowers fill the garden in spring.

أحببت القميص الوردي الذي اشتريته أمس. (ʾAḥbabtu al-qamīṣ al-wardī alladhī ishtaraytuhu ʾams.) – I love the pink shirt I bought yesterday.

• كستنائي (Kastanāʾī) – [kas.taˈnaː.iː] – Maroon in Arabic.

الفستان الكستنائي يناسبها تمامًا. (Al-fustān al-kastanāʾī yunāsibuhā tamāmān.) – The maroon dress suits her perfectly.

السيارة الكستنائية تلفت الأنظار في الشارع. (As-sayyāra al-kastanāʾiyya talfit al-anẓār fī ash-shāriʿ.) – The maroon car catches the eye on the street.

• ذهبي (Dhahabī) – [ða.haˈbiː] – Gold in Arabic.

الساعة الذهبية التي اشتريتها ثمينة جدًا. (As-sāʿa adh-dhahabiyya allatī ishtaraytuhā thamīna jiddan.) – The gold watch I bought is very precious.

الأسد الذهبي رمز للقوة والشجاعة. (Al-ʾasad adh-dhahabī ramz lil-quwa wa-ash-shajāʿa.) – The golden lion is a symbol of strength and courage.

• فضي (Fiḍḍī) – [fidˤˈdˤiː] – Silver in Arabic.

الخاتم الفضي يلمع تحت الضوء. (Al-khātim al-fiḍḍī yalmaʿ taḥta aḍ-ḍawʾ.) – The silver ring shines under the light.

اشترينا سيارة فضية جديدة الأسبوع الماضي. (Ishtaraynā sayyāra fiḍḍiyya jadīda al-ʾusbūʿ al-māḍī.) – We bought a new silver car last week.

• رمادي (Ramādī) – [raˈmaː.diː] – Gray in Arabic.

السماء كانت رمادية طوال اليوم. (As-samāʾ kānat ramādiyya ṭiwāla al-yawm.) – The sky was gray all day.

أحب ارتداء المعطف الرمادي في الشتاء. (ʾUḥibbu irtidāʾ al-miʿṭaf ar-ramādī fī ash-shitāʾ.) – I love wearing the gray coat in winter.

• أصفر فاتح (ʾAsfar Fātiḥ) – [ˈʔas.far ˈfaː.tiħ] – Light Yellow in Arabic.

طلاء الجدران الأصفر الفاتح يجعل الغرفة مشرقة. (Talāʾ al-judrān al-ʾaṣfar al-fātiḥ yajʿal al-ghurfa mushriqa.) – The light yellow paint makes the room bright.

اشتريت حقيبة يد صفراء فاتحة للصيف. (Ishtaraytu ḥaqībat yad ṣafrāʾ fātiḥa liṣ-ṣayf.) – I bought a light yellow handbag for the summer.

• كحلي (Kuḥlī) – [kuħˈliː] – Navy Blue.

البدلة الكحلية تبدو أنيقة للغاية. (Al-badla al-kuḥliyya tabdū ʾanīqa lil-ghāya.) – The navy blue suit looks very elegant.

البحر الكحلي عميق وهادئ. (Al-baḥr al-kuḥlī ʿamīq wa-hādiʾ.) – The navy blue sea is deep and calm.

• لبني (Labanī) – [laˈba.niː] – Baby Blue.

السماء اللبنية جميلة في الصباح الباكر. (As-samāʾ al-labanīya jamīla fī aṣ-ṣabāḥ al-bākir.) – The baby blue sky is beautiful in the early morning.

أحببت الكنزة اللبنية التي أهديتني إياها. (ʾAḥbabtu al-kinza al-labanīya allatī ʾahdītanī ʾiyyāhā.) – I love the baby blue sweater you gifted me.

• فيروزي (Fayrūzī) – [fajˈruː.ziː] – Turquoise in Arabic.

البحر الفيروزي في الجزر الاستوائية مذهل. (Al-baḥr al-fayrūzī fī al-juzur al-istiwāʾiyya mudhhil.) – The turquoise sea in the tropical islands is stunning.

القلادة الفيروزية تضيف لمسة من الجمال إلى ملابسها. (Al-qilāda al-fayrūzīya tuḍīf lamsa min al-jamāl ʾilā malābisihā.) – The turquoise necklace adds a touch of beauty to her outfit.

• زيتوني (Zaytūnī) – [zajˈtuː.niː] – Olive in Arabic.

ارتدى الرجل سترة زيتونية في الرحلة. (Irtadā ar-rajul sutra zaytūniyya fī ar-riḥla.) – The man wore an olive jacket on the trip.

اللون الزيتوني يناسب فصل الخريف. (Al-lawn az-zaytūnī yunāsib faṣl al-kharīf.) – The olive color suits the autumn season.

• قرمزي (Qurmuzi) – [qurˈmu.ziː] – Crimson in Arabic.

الوردة القرمزية كانت هدية رائعة. (Al-warda al-qurmuziyya kānat hadiyya rāʾiʿa.) – The crimson rose was a wonderful gift.

السماء تحولت إلى قرمزية عند الغروب. (As-samāʾ taḥawwalat ʾilā qurmuziyya ʿinda al-ghurūb.) – The sky turned crimson at sunset.

Let’s Learn Colors in Arabic with Promova!

When you just start learning a new language, it might look like a tough challenge. And we got it! All those rules, new words, unfamiliar characters… But we can assure you – with access to proper resources, you can significantly simplify this process. That’s why we want you to try Promova – your one-stop solution for learning foreign languages. Our convenient application offers plenty of benefits, suitable for both newbies and experienced learners:

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Conclusion

Summing up, we can say that the names of the colors in Arabic are as diverse and beautiful as the language itself. We hope that today’s article will help you memorize all the essential hues and learn how to use them in sentences. And that’s it for today! We’re looking forward to seeing you in the next article.