Colors Цвета́
11 Russian words on the topic of colors — each with a picture, an audio recording and an example sentence. Colors are adjectives and agree with their noun; they are listed here in the masculine singular.
| Picture | English | Russian · Ру́сский | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
 | red | кра́сный | 🔗 Word familyOriginally 'beautiful' — hence Кра́сная пло́щадь (Red Square). 'Beautiful' today is краси́вый. |
 | blue | си́ний | 🔀 Several meaningsRussian has two blues: си́ний (dark) and голубо́й (light). |
 | green | зелёный | ё is always the stressed vowel. 🔗 Word familyRelated: зе́лень (greens). |
 | yellow | жёлтый | Pronounced 'zhóltyy' — after ж the ё sounds like о. |
 | black | чёрный | Pronounced 'chórnyy'. Чёрное мо́ре = the Black Sea. |
 | white | бе́лый | 🔗 Word familyHence Белару́сь — 'White Rus' (Belarus). |
 | gray | се́рый | Figuratively also 'dull, nondescript' — like English 'gray'. |
 | brown | кори́чневый | 🔗 Word familyFrom кори́ца (cinnamon). Brown eyes are ка́рие глаза́, not кори́чневые. |
 | pink | ро́зовый | 🔗 Word familyFrom ро́за (rose) — 'rose-colored'. |
 | orange | ора́нжевый | 🔀 Several meaningsOnly the color; the fruit is апельси́н. |
 | purple | фиоле́товый | 🔗 Word familyCognate of 'violet'. 🌎 RegionSlang мне фиоле́тово = I don't care. |
See also:ClothingBasic Adjectives