Ways to say it
| Italian | IPA |
|---|---|
| marrone | /marˈro.ne/ |
| bruno | /ˈbru.no/ |
The word is used to describe the color brown. Related verbs such as rosolare or dorare can be used when you want to describe cooking something until it becomes brown.
Which one should you use?
marrone is the standard, everyday word for the color brown used for objects and general descriptions. In contrast, bruno is a more literary or poetic term that is often used specifically to describe hair or skin tones.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Northern Italy, specifically in the Piedmont and Lombardy regions, the term castagna is used to describe a chestnut brown color.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective marrone follows standard gender and number agreement. For example, it changes to marroni when describing masculine plural nouns.
How do you pronounce it?
The word is pronounced /marˈro.ne/. It has three syllables, with the stress on the second syllable.
Did you know?
- The word bruno descends from a Proto-Indo-European root that meant both 'shining' and 'brown'.
Examples in context
- Il pane è marrone.The bread is brown.This sentence is useful for describing the color of bread using marrone.Tatoeba #2457951 by Guybrush88, translation #2353529 by kerbear407
- Il riso è marrone.The rice is brown.This sentence is useful for describing the color of rice using marrone.Tatoeba #13129891 by Guybrush88, translation #12807412 by rul
- La borsa è marrone.The bag is brown.This sentence is useful for describing the color of a bag using marrone.Tatoeba #2581756 by Guybrush88, translation #8832135 by deniko
- Il tavolo è di colore marrone.The table is brown in color.
- Ho due giacche marroni nel mio armadio.I have two brown jackets in my closet.
- Desidero una borsa marrone, per favore.I would like a brown bag, please.
- Ha i capelli biondi ma gli occhi bruni.He has blonde hair but brown eyes.
- Ho una poltrona di cuoio bruno nel mio salotto.I have a brown leather armchair in my living room.
- Il cane dei miei vicini è un labrador bruno.My neighbor's dog is a brown labrador.
- Quel vestito ha un colore cioccolato molto bello.That dress has a very beautiful chocolate color.
- Hai visto i suoi occhi? Sono di un marrone cioccolato intenso.Have you seen her eyes? They are a deep chocolate brown.
- Preferisco i mobili in legno scuro o terra di Siena.I prefer dark wood or terra di Siena furniture.
- Ho trovato delle bellissime tende color castagna per la mia cucina.I found beautiful chestnut-colored curtains for my kitchen.
- 61 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Matteo and Giulia are looking at clothes in a shop.
- MatteoTi piace questo maglione marrone?Do you like this brown sweater?
- GiuliaSì, è molto bello.Yes, it is very beautiful.
- MatteoAnche la borsa è marrone.The bag is also brown.
- GiuliaAllora prendiamo tutto.Then let's take everything.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “brown” translations and entries marrone, bruno, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries bruno, marrone, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
