색상
Saeksang
The English phrase "colours" is translated into Korean as 색상 (Saeksang).
색상 refers to color or coloration. It is frequently used in technical, design or commercial contexts, such as when discussing a device's color settings or an artist's color palette.
Which one should you use?
While 색상 refers to the concept of color or color properties, the word 색 is the more common and general word for "color" used in everyday conversation.
How does it change in a sentence?
To explicitly express the plural "colours", you can add the suffix -들 to the end of 색상 to create 색상들.
How do you pronounce it?
Saeksang
Did you know?
- The word 색 is also used to describe something 'lewd' or 'erotic'. In this context, it refers to the 'color' of desire, making it a word that requires careful context to avoid misunderstanding.
- In traditional Korean culture, the most important colors are the five cardinal colors, known as 오방색. These represent the five directions and elements, such as blue for east and red for south.
- In Korean, when people want to talk about a wide variety of colors, they often use the phrase 색색이 or 알록달록. These are expressive, onomatopoeic-style words that describe a colorful or variegated pattern rather than just listing 'colours'.
Examples in context
- 나는 파란색 하늘을 좋아해요I like the blue sky
- 고양이는 검은색이에요The cat is black
- 이 디자인은 색상이 아주 예뻐요.i dijaineun saeksangi aju yeppeoyo.The colours of this design are very pretty.
- 선호하는 색상이 무엇인가요?seonhohaneun saeksangi mueosingayo?What are your preferred colours?
Example conversation
Seoyeon and Minjun are looking at a new interior design catalog.
- 서연 Seo-yeon민준 씨, 이 방의 색상이 마음에 들어요?Minjun ssi, i bang-ui saeksangi maeume deureoyo?Minjun, do you like the colours of this room?
- 민준 Min-jun네, 전체적인 색상이 아주 세련됐어요.ne, jeonchejeogin saeksangi aju seryeondoesseoyo.Yes, the overall colours are very sophisticated.
- 서연 Seo-yeon다른 색상으로도 바꿀 수 있어요.dareun saeksang-eurodo bakkul su isseoyo.We can change it to other colours too.
- 민준 Min-jun그럼 밝은 색상도 한번 보여주세요.geureom balgeun saeksangdo hanbeon boyeojuseyo.Then please show me some bright colours as well.
