Colour words in Russian

Words for colours (цвета) in Russian with notes and colour-related expressions.


black чёрный (chyórnyj) = black, gloomy, wicked, back (exit), ebony, sable, smutty

Expressions

  • чёрный кофе = black coffee
  • чёрный рынок = black market
  • чёрная смородина = black current
  • чёрные металлы = ferrous metals (“black metals”)
  • чёрный ворон = carrion crow (“black crow/raven”)
  • чёрно-белый = black-and-white
  • чёрным по белому = in black and white

white белый (byélyj) = white, cep (mushroom)

Expressions

  • белый медведь polar bear (“white bear)
  • белое духовенство = secular clergy (“white clergyman”)
  • белая ворона = the odd one out (“white crow”)
  • белая гвардия = the White Guard
  • белая горячка = delirium tremens (“white fever)
  • белый свет = the whole world (“white world/light”)
  • белый карлик = white dwarf
  • белый рыцарь = white knight
  • белый стих = blank verse (“white poetry”)

red красный (krásnyj) = red, blushful, burgundy, florid, ruddy

Expressions

  • светло-красный = light red
  • тёмно-красный = dark red
  • красная анилиновая краска = magenta
  • красная смородина = red current
  • красное вино = red wine, claret, ruby
  • Красное море = Red sea
  • Красная Армия = Red Army
  • красное дерево = mahogany, partridgewood, redwood
  • красная рыба = salmon (“red fish”)
  • красный гигант = red giant
  • красный перец = paprika (“red pepper”)
  • красный прыщик = ruby (“red pimple”)

yellow жёлтый (zhóltyj) = yellow, jaundiced, xanthous

Expressions

  • желтый цвет = chrome, yellow
  • желтая карточка = yellow card
  • желтая лихорадка = yellow fever
  • желтый карлик = yellow dwarf
  • желтый справочник = Yellow pages
  • желтая медь = brass (“yellow copper”)
  • жёлтая пресса = the gutter press

blue синий (sínij) = blue, dark blue
голубой (galubój)) = aquamarine, blue, light blue, cyan, gay

Shades and expressions

  • синий цвет = indigo
  • тёмно-синий = dark blue, navy
  • синий чулок = bluestocking
  • голубой крови = blue-blooded
  • голубая мечта = pipe dream
  • голубой экран = small screen

green зелёный (zilyónyj) = green, verdant, pale, enviromentalist

Expressions

  • зелёные насаждения = trees and shrubs
  • зелёный лук spring onion
  • "Зелёные" = the Greens

brown коричневый (karíchnyevyj) = brown

Expressions

  • коричневый цвет = toffy
  • коричневый рис = brown rice
  • коричневый сахар = brown sugar
  • коричное дерево = cinamon (“brown wood”)

pink розовый (rózavyj) = pink, rose, rosy, blushful, incarnadine


orange оранжевый (aránzhevyj) = orange

Expressions

  • оранжевый цвет = orange, tangerine

grey серый (syéryj) = grey, drab, dim, grizzly, leaden, poky, wan

Expressions

  • серый с голубым отливом = steel-gray
  • серый цвет = grizzle
  • серый хлеб = brown bread
  • серый в яблоках конь = dapple-grey (horse)

purple фиолетовый (fialyétavyj) - purple, violaceous, violet

Expressions

  • фиолетовый цвет = magenta, purple, violet

Other colour-related words

  • цвет = colour
  • красочный = colourful
  • разноцветный = multi-coloured
  • светло = light (colour)
  • тёмно = dark (colour)

Hear colour words in Russian:

Links and sources

https://www.babbel.com/en/magazine/colors-in-russian/
https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Russian/Vocabulary/Colors
http://learningrussian.net/vocabulary/russian-words/colors_in_russian_language.php
https://learnrussianstepbystep.com/en/colors-in-russian/
https://www.rocketlanguages.com/russian/lessons/colors-in-russian
https://en.bab.la/dictionary/russian-english/
https://dictionary.reverso.net/russian-english/

Information about Russian | Useful phrases | Silly phrases | Numbers | Colours | Time | Family words | Terms of endearment | Weather | Idioms | Tongue twisters | Tower of Babel | Articles | Links | Constructed scripts for Russian | Books about Russian on: Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk [affilate links]

Colours in Slavic languages

Czech, Russian

Colour words in other languages

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