Learn colours in Mandarin Chinese.
Colours in Mandarin:
The character 色(sè) means "colour" and is often attached to colour words.
| Mandarin | English | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 红色 | Red | 我喜欢红色。 |
| 蓝色 | Blue | 天空是蓝色的。 |
| 绿色 | Green | 树叶是绿色的。 |
| 黄色 | Yellow | 香蕉是黄色的。 |
| 白色 | White | 雪是白色的。 |
| 黑色 | Black | 夜晚是黑色的。 |
| Word | Phonetic | Tip |
|---|---|---|
| 红色 | 2nd tone then 4th tone. "h" is like English "h" | |
| 绿色 | 4th tone then 4th tone. "lü" has an umlaut — round your lips for "ü" | |
| 黄色 | 2nd tone. "hu" starts with an "h" followed by "w" sound |
是 vs 的: To say something IS a colour: 苹果是红色的 (The apple is red). The 的(de) at the end is a structural particle linking adjective to noun.
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