bianco
/ˈbjan.ko/masculine
The Italian word for white is bianco.
bianco is used to denote the color white, which can refer to something bright and colourless. It can also be used in a racial context to refer to Caucasians. When describing white wine, the adjective follows the noun to form the phrase vino bianco.
Meaning: color (noun)
Which one should you use?
While bianco is the standard term, the word candido is a formal synonym. While bianco refers to the color, candido is often used to describe things that are pure, virgin or pristine.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The masculine singular form is bianco, and the masculine plural is bianchi. The feminine singular form is bianca, and the feminine plural is bianche.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation is /ˈbjan.ko/. It has two syllables, and the stress is on the first syllable.
When do people say it?
To express that something is exceptionally white, you can use the idiom bianco come la neve, which means white as snow.
Did you know?
- In Italian, bianco can be used to describe a total lack of memory, as in avere un bianco, which means to have a mental blank.
- The phrase bandiera bianca meaning 'white flag' is used in everyday conversation to signal that someone is giving up or admitting defeat in an argument.
- The word bianco comes from the Early Medieval Latin word blancus, making it a relative of the Spanish word blanco.
Examples in context
- Il cane è bianco.The dog is white.This sentence shows how to use bianco to describe an animal.Tatoeba #635268 by Guybrush88, translation #526365 by wma
- Sami è un bianco.Sami is a white man.This sentence uses bianco to refer to a person.Tatoeba #8370417 by jacopofar, translation #7988267 by OsoHombre
- Il pane è bianco.The bread is white.This sentence uses bianco to describe food.Tatoeba #13041908 by Guybrush88, translation #12788497 by rul
- La bella camicia bianca era pulita e liscia.The beautiful white shirt was clean and smooth.
- La magnifica casa bianca sulle colline era affascinante.The magnificent white house on the hills was fascinating.
- La sposa indossava un abito candido con dettagli in pizzo.The bride was wearing a pure white dress with lace details.
- Il paesaggio era meravigliosamente bianco come la neve.The landscape was wonderfully white as snow.
- 424 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Giulia and Matteo are looking at a new sofa in a furniture store.
- GiuliaTi piace questo divano bianco?Do you like this white sofa?
- MatteoSì, il bianco è molto elegante.Yes, white is very elegant.
- GiuliaMa Matteo, non si sporcherà subito?But Matteo, won't it get dirty immediately?
- MatteoHai ragione, forse è meglio un colore scuro.You're right, maybe a dark color is better.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “white” translations and entries bianco, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries bianco, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
