blár
[ˈplauːr]
The Icelandic word for blue is blár.
blár is used to describe things that are blue-coloured. It can function as both an adjective and a noun to refer to the colour blue itself.
Meaning: blue-coloured (adj)
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
In Icelandic, adjectives must agree with the noun they accompany in both gender and number. The adjective blár changes its ending to blá when describing a feminine noun, blátt when describing a neuter noun, bláir when describing multiple masculine nouns and bláar when describing multiple feminine nouns.
Did you know?
- In many older Icelandic texts, the word blár was used to describe something that was black rather than blue. This can make reading historical descriptions of clothing or landscapes quite confusing for modern readers.
- In Icelandic, the word blár is used to describe bruises on the skin, similar to how English speakers say a bruise is 'black and blue'.
- Because of the Proto-Germanic root *blēwaz, the Icelandic blár is a distant linguistic cousin to the English word 'blue'.
Examples in context
- Af hverju er himinninn blár?Why is the sky blue?This sentence is useful for asking why the sky is blue using blár.Tatoeba #10721667 by nipbud, translation #2595655 by WestofEden
- Í dag er himinninn heiður og blár.Today the sky is cloudless and blue.This sentence is useful for describing a cloudless blue sky using blár.Tatoeba #698238 by Swift, translation #9670129 by ravensfeather
- Himinninn er blár.The sky is blue.This sentence is useful for stating that the sky is blue using blár.Tatoeba #386858 by Pharamp, translation #18275 by CK
- Húsið er bláttThe house is blue
- Húsin eru bláThe houses are blue
Example conversation
Ólafur and Kristín are looking at new clothes in a store.
- ÓlafurLíkar þér þessi blár peysubúsvörður?Do you like this blue sweater?
- KristínJá, hann er mjög fallegur.Yes, it is very beautiful.
- ÓlafurÉg held að blár litur passi vel við þig.I think the blue color suits you well.
- KristínTakk, ég ætla að kaupa hann.Thanks, I am going to buy it.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “blue” translations and entries blár, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries blár, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
