A1 · Beginner30 words and phrases Audio for every word
Colors in Turkish
Colors in Turkish are easy to use: a color never changes for plural or gender, and it goes before the noun, just like in English: , a red car. Here are the 12 basic colors, how to say light and dark, how to ask (What color?) and three expressions people really use. Every word and sentence has audio.
Tap the bookmark to save a word to My words and review it as flashcards.
The 12 basic colors
kırmızı
red
Arabam kırmızı.
My car is red.
mavi
blue
Bugün gökyüzü çok mavi.
The sky is very blue today.
yeşil
green
Yeşil çayı çok seviyorum.
I love green tea.
sarı
yellow
İstanbul'da taksiler sarı.
In Istanbul, the taxis are yellow.
siyah
black
Siyah bir mont istiyorum.
I'd like a black coat.
beyaz
white
Kahvaltıda beyaz peynir yiyoruz.
We have white cheese (like feta) for breakfast.
turuncu
orange
Bu turuncu çanta çok güzel.
This orange bag is really nice.
mor
purple
Kızımın en sevdiği renk mor.
My daughter’s favorite color is purple.
pembe
pink
Pembe bir elbise giyiyor.
She’s wearing a pink dress.
kahverengi
brown · literally “coffee color”
Gözleri kahverengi.
Her eyes are brown.
gri
gray
Gri bir kedimiz var.
We have a gray cat.
lacivert
navy blue · so common it’s almost a basic color
Bu lacivert ceket çok şık.
This navy jacket is very stylish.
Light and dark: açık and koyu
For a lighter or darker shade, put (light) or (dark) before the color.
açık
light (for colors) · also “open”
Açık renkleri seviyorum.
I like light colors.
koyu
dark (for colors)
Koyu renkler sana çok yakışıyor.
Dark colors really suit you.
açık mavi
light blue
Açık mavi bir gömlek giyiyor.
He’s wearing a light blue shirt.
koyu yeşil
dark green
Komşumuzun arabası koyu yeşil.
Our neighbor’s car is dark green.
açık kahverengi
light brown
Saçları açık kahverengi.
Her hair is light brown.
koyu kırmızı
dark red
Koyu kırmızı gülleri çok seviyorum.
I love dark red roses.
Asking about colors
means color. To ask about one, use (what):
renk
color
Bu renk sana çok yakışıyor.
This color really suits you.
Ne renk?
What color?
Araban ne renk?
What color is your car?
En sevdiğin renk ne?
What’s your favorite color?
En sevdiğim renk mavi.
My favorite color is blue.
Başka rengi var mı?
Do you have it in another color? · renk becomes rengi
Bu ayakkabı güzel ama başka rengi var mı?
These shoes are nice, but do you have them in another color?
renkli
colorful
Bu mahalle çok renkli.
This neighborhood is very colorful.
Colors with nouns
The color comes first, as in English. With (a), it usually goes between the color and the noun: , a black cat.
siyah kedi
black cat
Bahçede siyah bir kedi var.
There’s a black cat in the garden.
beyaz ev
white house
Deniz kenarında küçük beyaz bir ev istiyorum.
I want a little white house by the sea.
yeşil elma
green apple
Pazardan yeşil elma alıyorum.
I’m buying green apples at the market.
kırmızı ışık
red light
Kırmızı ışıkta dur.
Stop at the red light.
Everyday expressions with colors
You’ll hear these in conversations and on TV. is an old word for black that lives on in expressions.
yeşil ışık yakmak
to give the green light · literally “to switch on a green light”
Patron projeye yeşil ışık yaktı.
The boss gave the project the green light.
kara kara düşünmek
to brood, to worry hard · literally “to think black, black”
Neden kara kara düşünüyorsun? Her şey yoluna girecek.
Why are you brooding? Everything will be fine.
pembe dizi
soap opera · literally “pink series”
Annem her akşam pembe dizi izliyor.
My mom watches a soap opera every evening.
Good to know
- To say something is a color, put the color last: (The car is red.) Before the noun, it describes it: (a red car).
- Colors don’t take the plural ending, only the noun does: (red cars).
- With tea, and mean weak and strong. At breakfast you’ll hear (I’d like mine weak.)
- (black) and ak (white) are old words that live on in place names: Karadeniz is the Black Sea, and Akdeniz, the Mediterranean, is literally the White Sea.
Learn these words in real Turkish
The free A1 course teaches Turkish step by step, with audio and speaking practice. Not sure where to start? Take the level test.