Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| 色 | sè | /sɤ⁵¹/ (Mandarin, Standard Chinese, literary, Mainland China, standard, Taiwan, Sinological IPA) /ʂaɪ̯²¹⁴/ (Mandarin, Standard Chinese, colloquial, Mainland China, standard, Taiwan, Sinological IPA) |
| 顏色 / 颜色 | yánsè |
The term refers to a particular set of the visible spectrum. You can use the word 浅 (qiǎn) before a color to mean 'light' or the word 深 (shēn) before a color to mean 'dark'. Additionally, the character 色 is frequently used after specific color words. For more artistic or abstract contexts, such as the vibrancy of a scene or the colors in a painting, the word 色彩 is used.
Which one should you use?
The single character 色 is more formal or technical and is commonly found in compound words, such as 色盲 (color blindness). While both are related to color, 色彩 is specifically used when discussing the artistic or abstract qualities of color and hue.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
When used as a noun, 颜色 is compatible with measure words, meaning you can use a classifier before it to describe a specific instance of a color.
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is sè and the IPA is /sɤ⁵¹/.
Did you know?
- The character 色 is not originally an image of color, but rather depicts a hand pressing down on a kneeling person. It was later borrowed to represent the concept of 'color' because of phonetic similarity.
- The character 色 is used in the term 色情 to refer to 'erotica' or 'lust', linking the idea of color to sensual attraction.
- In Buddhist philosophy, the word 色 is used to describe the material world or physical form, rather than just a hue.
Examples in context
- 我姐姐是色盲。My sister is color blind.This sentence uses 色 to describe a person with a color vision deficiency.Tatoeba #9963218 by GlossaMatik, translation #11291142 by Aphima
- 你的车什么颜色？What color is your car?This sentence uses 色 to ask about the color of an object.Tatoeba #9961391 by GlossaMatik, translation #3377175 by CK
- 樹葉的顏色好美。The color of the leaves is beautiful.This sentence uses 色 to describe the color of leaves.Tatoeba #13519123 by LeviHighway, translation #13187514 by atitarev
- 一张红色的椅子A red chair
- 一条蓝色的裙子A blue dress
- 一幅黄色的画A yellow painting
- 一双黑色的鞋子A pair of black shoes
- 深红色Dark red
- 浅蓝色Light blue
- 67 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Zihan and Zhiqiang are choosing a new rug for the room.
- 梓涵 Zihan你觉得这个色怎么样？Nǐ juéde zhège sè zěnmeyàng?What do you think of this color?
- 志强 Zhiqiang我觉得太深了。Wǒ juéde tài shēn le.I think it's too dark.
- 梓涵 Zihan那换个浅色吧。Nà huàn gè qiǎn sè ba.Let's change to a light color then.
- 志强 Zhiqiang好，我也喜欢浅色。Hǎo, wǒ yě xǐhuan qiǎn sè.Okay, I like light colors too.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “color” translations and entries 色, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 色, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
