Colour words in Afrikaans

swart - black

• politically charged word during the apartheid era, euphemistically changed to "nie-blankes" (non white) when referring to people.

wit - blank, wit, blanke (person)

rooi - red

• die rooidag kom uit: "day break" and roinekke: negative slang term for new Europeans in SA, lit "red necks" (overdone suntans!) and sometimes for all Englih speakers by Afrikaans speakers.

geel - yellow

blou - blue

• Usually the bright sky blue of the Transvaal sky, other blues would be modified

groen - green

bruin, donker - brown

pienk, ligrooi - pink

oranje - orange

• as in Oranje-Vrystaat; although an orange (the fruit) is called a "lemoen", and a lemon (fruit) is called a "suurlemoen"; Oranje used to refer to someone from the Orange Free State, or from Bloemfontein in particular, or sometimes as negative slang by English speakers for Afrikaners

grys, vergrys - grey

purper - purple

• pimpelpaars ('as purple as a pimple') = very purple.