Colors in Spanish (los colores) are used as adjectives to describe the color of things, animals and people, but they can also be used as nouns.
Este lápiz es azul.
This pencil is blue.
El rojo es mi color favorito.
Red is my favorite color.
Quick tip: Colors in Spanish are placed after the noun, and have gender (masculine and feminine) and number (singular and plural).
Basic colors in Spanish
The main colors in Spanish are:
| Color in Spanish | Color in English | |
|---|---|---|
| ● | amarillo | yellow |
| ● | naranja | orange |
| ● | rojo | red |
| ● | verde | green |
| ● | azul | blue |
| ● | violeta, morado | purple |
| ● | negro | black |
| ● | blanco | white |
| ● | marrón | brown |
| ● | rosa | pink |
| ● | gris | gray |
All colors in Spanish
More colors in Spanish include:
| Color in Spanish | Color in English |
|---|---|
| celeste | sky blue |
| índigo | indigo |
| bordó | burgundy |
| magenta | magenta |
| cian | cyan |
| beige | beige |
| escarlata | scarlet |
| tostado | tan |
| carmesí | crimson |
| carmín | ruby |
| azul marino | navy blue |
Colors from nature
Just like in English, many colors in Spanish get their name from objects found in nature, like fruits, flowers, and minerals. Some of these colors include:
| Color in Spanish | Color in English |
|---|---|
| turquesa | turquoise |
| ámbar | amber |
| aguamarina | aquamarine |
| esmeralda | emerald |
| lila | lilac |
| fucsia | fuchsia |
| malva | mauve |
| violeta | violet |
| lavanda | lavender |
| verde lima | lime |
| ocre | ochre |
| terracota | terracota |
| salmón | salmon |
| marfil | ivory |
| coral | coral |
| caqui | khaki |
| dorado | gold |
| plateado | silver |
| bronce | copper |
| crema | cream |
| verde oliva | olive green |
| tomate | tomato |
| durazno | peach |
| avellana | hazel |
| ciruela | plum |
| tomate | tomato |
| chocolate | chocolate |
| mostaza | mustard |
Colors in Spanish: grammar rules
Colors in Spanish follow the grammar rules below:
Word order
- Unlike in English, colors in Spanish go after the noun:
Un gato blanco (not: un blanco gato).
A white cat.Las mejillas rosadas.
The pink cheeks.Un gato negro.
A black cat.El cielo azul.
The blue sky.Una manzana roja.
A red apple.
- Colors may go before or after the verb ser o estar (to be):
La casa azul es mía.
The blue house is mine.Mi casa es azul.
My house is blue.
Color gender and number
- Color adjectives in Spanish agree in gender (masculine or feminine) and number (singular or plural) with the noun they modify.
- As a general rule, color adjectives ending in o (rojo, amarillo, morado, rosado) are masculine, changing the o for an a for the feminine form:
un fruto rojo (masculine singular)
una fruta roja (feminine singular)
- Color adjectives ending in a (naranja, rosa, violeta) don’t change:
un gato naranja (masculine singular)
una gorra naranja (feminine singular)
- The same applies to colors not ending in o: azul (blue) verde (green), gris (gray), marrón (brown):
un almohadón azul (masculine singular)
una capa azul (feminine singular)
- To make the plural form, colors add a final s:
frutos rojos (masculine plural)
frutas rojas (feminine plural).
The Spanish word color is masculine. This means that when used as nouns, colors are always masculine, even if ending in a. They are usually preceded by the definite article el:
Me gusta el naranja.
I like orange.
Adjectives to describe colors in Spanish
To express a color tone or hue more precisely, adjectives can be used after the color, including:
| claro light | brillante bright | pastel pastel |
| fosforescente fluorescent | metálico metallic | oscuro dark |
| pálido pale | apagado dull | mate matte |
Words related to color
Some adjectives, nouns and collocations related to the word color in Spanish are:
| amarillento yellowish | amarronado brownish | colores primarios primary colors |
| verdoso greenish | colorido colorful | colores secundarios secondary colors |
| rojizo reddish | coloreado colored | colores terciarios tertiary colors |
| violáceo purplish | colores cálidos warm colors | paleta de colores color palette |
| azulado bluish | colores fríos cool colors | los colores del arcoíris the colors of the rainbow |
1. Eye colors in Spanish (colores de ojos)
The most common eye colors in Spanish are:
| ojos marrones brown eyes | ojos azules blue eyes | ojos color avellana hazel eyes |
| ojos verdes green eyes | ojos grises gray eyes | ojos pardos dun eyes |
2. Hair colors in Spanish (colores de cabello)
The most common hair colors in Spanish are:
| cabello negro black hair | cabello rubio blond hair | cabello blanco white hair |
| cabello castaño brunette hair | cabello gris grey hair | cabello pelirrojo red-haired |
Examples of Spanish colors in a sentence
¿Cuál es tu color favorito?
What is your favorite color?
Mi color favorito es el verde.
My favorite color is green.
Los colores del arcoíris son naranja, amarillo, rojo, verde, azul, índigo y violeta.
The colors of the rainbow are: orange, yellow, red, green, blue, indigo and violet.
Juana tiene un Iphone plateado.
Juana has a silver Iphone.
Quisiera probarme esa blusa celeste, por favor.
I’d like to try on that sky blue blouse, please.
Las amapolas son rojas con semillas negras.
Poppies are red with black seeds.
Una mariposa amarilla revoloteaba en la brisa.
A yellow butterfly fluttered in the breeze.
¿Te gustan las películas en blanco y negro?
Do you like black and white movies?
La bandera griega tiene rayas azules y blancas.
The Greek flag has blue and white stripes.
La tapa del libro es azul claro.
The book cover is light blue.
Juan tiene el cabello marrón oscuro.
Juan has dark brown hair.
Elena tenía puesto un vestido verde brillante.
Elena was wearing a bright green dress.
Sus ojos son de color gris pálido.
His eyes are pale gray.
La habitación del bebé está pintada de amarillo pastel.
The baby’s bedroom is painted pastel yellow.
María compró una tinta azul fosforescente para la escuela.
María bought some fluorescent blue ink for school.
Practice activity: Colors in Spanish
Drag and drop a color name under each color.
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