Colors in German Knowing colors is essential for communicati | Learn German with Leo🦁

Colors in German

Knowing colors is essential for communication in German: without it, you can't describe the color of the sky, your favorite color, or the colors you like to wear. So, here's a short list of basic colors for you.

beige – beige
blau – blue
braun – brown
bunt - multicolored, colorful
dunkel – dark
farbig – colored
flieder – lilac
gelb – yellow
golden – golden
grau – gray
grün – green
hell – light
hellblau – light blue
lila – purple
orange – orange
rosa – pink
rot – red
schwarz – black
schwarz-weiß – black and white
silbern – silver
türkis – turquoise
verschiedenfarbig – multicolored
violett – violet
weiß – white

By adding "hell" (light) at the beginning of a word, you get light-colored hues. They are always written as one word, for example: hellblau – light blue

The same applies to "dunkel" (dark) at the beginning of a word, which turns the color into a darker shade: dunkelblau - dark blue

Der Himmel ist blau. Meine Lieblingsfarbe ist schwarz.
The sky is blue. My favorite color is black.

Bonus: Top 3 idioms with colors!

Er ist Blau
Meaning: he is drunk
Literal translation: he is blue

Da kannst du warten bist du schwarz wirst
Meaning: to wait for a pig in a poke
Literal translation: don't wait, or you'll turn black

Durch die rosa Brille schauen
Meaning: to look through rose-colored glasses
Literal translation: look through pink glasses