Colours in German: word list with pictures
12 words · tap 🔊 to hear each one in German.
| Picture | English | German | Say it | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Red | rot | |||
| Yellow | gelb | |||
| Blue | blau | |||
| Green | grün | |||
| Orange | orange | |||
| Purple | lila | |||
| Pink | rosa | |||
| Brown | braun | |||
| Black | schwarz | |||
| White | weiß | |||
| Grey | grau | |||
| Sky Blue | hellblau |
Colors in German are short, bright words that children use all day: for toys, clothes, food and cars. This page has 12 colours with pictures and clear audio, from rot (red), gelb (yellow) and blau (blue) to rosa (pink), lila (purple) and hellblau (light blue). Tap a colour to hear it in German and English, then play Find it.
The 12 colours in German
| Colour | German | Sounds like | Things to point at |
|---|---|---|---|
| Red | rot | "roht" | die Erdbeere |
| Yellow | gelb | "gelp" | die Banane |
| Blue | blau | "blow" | der Himmel (sky) |
| Green | grün | "grewn", round lips | das Gras |
| Black | schwarz | "shvarts" | a black cat |
| White | weiß | "vice" | der Schnee (snow) |
The other six are orange (said "o-RAHN-zhe"), lila (purple), rosa (pink), braun (brown), grau (grey) and hellblau (light blue). Notice that weiß sounds like English "vice", and blau sounds like English "blow": nice memory hooks for English speakers.
Light and dark: hell and dunkel
Hellblau is simply hell (light) plus blau. Once children know this, they can make new colours themselves: hellgrün (light green), dunkelblau (dark blue), dunkelrot (dark red). It is one of the first times a child sees how German builds words from parts, and it is fun to invent colours together while painting. German also has two words for purple: lila, which children use most, and violett.
Colours in simple sentences
After the noun, a German colour stays as it is: "Der Ball ist rot." Before a noun, it takes an ending: "der rote Ball", "ein roter Ball". Young children pick up these endings slowly and make lots of mistakes, and that is completely normal. Model the right form gently, without correcting: if your child says "der rot Ball", reply "Ja, der rote Ball!"
How German kindergartens teach colours
In a German Kita, colours come through painting, sorting beads, building blocks and songs. The traditional song "Grün, grün, grün sind alle meine Kleider" (Green, green, green are all my clothes) goes through each colour, with children standing up when they wear that colour. The car game "Ich sehe was, was du nicht siehst, und das ist blau" is the German "I spy", and it is played with colours rather than letters, which makes it perfect for small children.
How to teach colours in German at home
- One colour a day. Choose rot and find five red things together.
- Clothes talk. While dressing, say "Heute trägst du blau!" (Today you are wearing blue).
- Fruit sort. Sort fruit by colour; pair this with fruits in German.
- Paint and mix. Mix gelb and blau to get grün. Children love this "magic".
- Colour and name. Use our coloring pages for kids and name each colour in German as you fill it.
Count coloured things with numbers in German: "Drei rote Autos!" Two skills in one short game.
What to expect by age
Colour names are abstract, so do not rush. At two to three, most children match colours before they can name them. At three to four, many name the main colours: rot, gelb, blau, grün. At four to five, they know most of the twelve and start to use hell and dunkel. At five to six, they describe objects with colour in short sentences. If your child mixes up colours for a long time, or confuses red and green in particular, mention it to your paediatrician; colour vision differences are common and easy to check. Keep sessions short and shared, and under-twos are better off with crayons and a grown-up than a screen. For English and Hindi names, see colours name in Hindi and English.
For families in Germany, colours also turn up in daily routines your child will meet: the gelbe Tonne (yellow bin) for packaging, the blaue Tonne for paper and the brown one for food waste. Sorting rubbish with your child is a real-life colour game that German kindergartens also practise, because recycling is taught from a young age.
Farben lernen für Kinder
Hier lernt Ihr Kind zwölf Farben mit Bild und Ton: rot, gelb, blau, grün, orange, lila, rosa, braun, schwarz, weiß, grau und hellblau. Tippen Sie auf eine Farbe, und Ihr Kind hört das Wort auf Deutsch und auf Englisch.
Spielen Sie „Ich sehe was, was du nicht siehst“, sortieren Sie Bausteine nach Farben oder singen Sie „Grün, grün, grün sind alle meine Kleider“. Beim Malen können Sie neue Farben mischen und sie gemeinsam benennen: hellgrün, dunkelblau, hellrot.
How to use this page at home
Say it, then find it
Play for a few minutes, then look for the same thing away from the screen: german words on the shelf, in the kitchen, on the way to school. A child learns a word properly when they meet it twice, once on the screen and once in their hand.
Ten minutes is enough
Short and happy beats long and tired. Stop while your child still wants more, and come back tomorrow: the same page on five short days teaches far more than one long sitting. Nothing here is scored, so there is no reason to push.
Use both languages
Tap the language button at the top to hear the words in your home language first and the second language after. Hearing the same picture named in two languages is one of the few things research agrees builds attention as well as vocabulary.
