List · Colors
Colors in Korean (nouns, adjectives and shades)
Korean distinguishes between the NOUN form of a color (빨강 = red) and its ADJECTIVE-VERB form (빨갛다 = to be red). This guide covers both, modern shades and everyday expressions, with native audio on every word.
Basic colors (nouns)
The noun form (no 다 ending). Used on its own, with 색 ("color"), or to qualify an object: 빨강 차 ("red car").
Adjective-verbs (-다 forms)
To SAY that something IS a color, Korean uses a stative verb. Most are ㅎ-irregular and change shape when conjugated (빨갛다 → 빨개요 / 파랗다 → 파래요).
- ppalgata·to be red(ㅎ-irregular)
- norata·to be yellow(ㅎ-irregular)
- parata·to be blue(ㅎ-irregular)
- kkamata·to be black(ㅎ-irregular, more colloquial than 검다)
- hayata·to be white(ㅎ-irregular)
- geomda·to be black(more formal register)
- pureuda·to be blue-green, azure(literary, the blue of the sea or sky)
- bukda·to be deep red, scarlet(literary)
Shades, gradients and loanwords
To get a more precise shade, combine 진한 (dark) or 연한 (pale) with the color. Most modern shades are English loanwords followed by 색.
Common expressions with colors
How people actually describe things in daily life: conjugated adjective form + noun.
Frequently asked questions
Why does each Korean color have two forms?
Korean uses stative verbs to describe things: "to be red" is a verb (빨갛다) that conjugates like any other verb. The noun form (빨강) is for naming the color in the abstract. It's the same distinction as English "red" (adjective) vs "the color red" (noun), except in Korean the adjective is an actual conjugated verb form.
How do you say "my favorite color" in Korean?
Say 제일 좋아하는 색 (jeil joahaneun saek), literally "the color I like the most", or shorter 좋아하는 색 (joahaneun saek). To specify which one: 제 좋아하는 색은 파랑이에요 ("my favorite color is blue").
How does the ㅎ-irregular conjugation work for colors?
The adjective-verbs 빨갛다, 노랗다, 파랗다, 까맣다, 하얗다 drop their ㅎ and merge with the following vowel: 빨갛다 + 아요 becomes 빨개요 (not "빨가아요"). For the determinant form, keep the stem without ㅎ: 빨간 사과 ("red apple").
What's the difference between 검정 and 까맣다?
검정 is the NOUN ("black, the color black"); 까맣다 is the ADJECTIVE-VERB ("to be black"). 까맣다 is more colloquial and expressive than its formal equivalent 검다. In formal writing you'll see 검은 ("black", as a modifier), in speech 까만.
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