紅色 / 红色
紅色 / 红色 is the Cantonese word for red.
The term refers to the colour red. It can also be used as an adjective to mean left-wing, socialist or communist.
Meaning: colour (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The word is composed of the character 紅, which means red and the suffix 色, which means colour.
Which one should you use?
While the character 紅 can be used alone as an adjective to mean red, 紅色 / 红色 is more commonly used when specifically naming the colour itself as a noun.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
Adding the suffix 色 to the adjective 紅 turns the word into the noun 'red' or 'the colour red'.
When do people say it?
In Cantonese culture, the colour red is associated with luck, prosperity and celebration.
Did you know?
- The character 紅 is composed of the radical for 'silk' 糸, reflecting that red was originally one of the most precious and expensive dyed fabrics.
- Cantonese speakers may use the term 紅事 (red affair) as a polite euphemism for a wedding or a joyful celebration.
- In some contexts, the term 紅 is used to describe someone who is 'popular' or 'in vogue', similar to how one might say someone is 'red-hot' in English.
Examples in context
- 他的車是鮮紅色的。His car is bright red.
- 那幅畫有一抹緋紅色。That painting has a touch of crimson.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “red” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
