Colours in Kannada: word list with pictures
12 words · tap 🔊 to hear each one in Kannada.
| Picture | English | Kannada | Say it | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Red | ಕೆಂಪು | kempu | ||
| Yellow | ಹಳದಿ | haladi | ||
| Blue | ನೀಲಿ | niili | ||
| Green | ಹಸಿರು | hasiru | ||
| Orange | ಕಿತ್ತಳೆ ಬಣ್ಣ | kittale banna | ||
| Purple | ನೇರಳೆ | neerale | ||
| Pink | ಗುಲಾಬಿ ಬಣ್ಣ | gulaabi banna | ||
| Brown | ಕಂದು | kandu | ||
| Black | ಕಪ್ಪು | kappu | ||
| White | ಬಿಳಿ | bili | ||
| Grey | ಬೂದು | buudu | ||
| Sky Blue | ಆಕಾಶ ನೀಲಿ | aakaasha niili |
Colours in Kannada are among the easiest and most useful words a small child can learn, because colour is everywhere: clothes, food, flowers and toys. This page has 12 colours. Tap a colour to hear its Kannada name and then the English, for example ಕೆಂಪು (kempu, red) or ನೀಲಿ (niili, blue). Then play Find it, where Golu says a colour in Kannada and your child taps it, or Memory to match colour pairs.
What does ಬಣ್ಣ mean?
ಬಣ್ಣ (banna) means colour, and ಬಣ್ಣಗಳು (bannagalu) means colours. You will hear it added to some names to make them clear. ಕಿತ್ತಳೆ alone means the orange fruit, so the colour is ಕಿತ್ತಳೆ ಬಣ್ಣ (orange colour). In the same way, ಗುಲಾಬಿ is a rose, and ಗುಲಾಬಿ ಬಣ್ಣ is pink, the colour of a rose. A simple question to ask your child every day is "ಇದು ಯಾವ ಬಣ್ಣ?" (What colour is this?)
Where the colour names come from
Many Kannada colour names are linked to things children know. Share these links and the words become easier to remember:
| Colour | Kannada | Something to find |
|---|---|---|
| Red | ಕೆಂಪು | a tomato, the red half of the Kannada flag |
| Yellow | ಹಳದಿ | turmeric (ಅರಿಶಿನ), a banana |
| Green | ಹಸಿರು | a leaf, a parrot, curry leaves |
| Blue | ನೀಲಿ | a school uniform, a water bottle |
| Sky blue | ಆಕಾಶ ನೀಲಿ | the sky (ಆಕಾಶ) on a clear day |
| Purple | ನೇರಳೆ | jamun fruit, which is also called ನೇರಳೆ |
| Pink | ಗುಲಾಬಿ ಬಣ್ಣ | a rose (ಗುಲಾಬಿ) |
| Orange | ಕಿತ್ತಳೆ ಬಣ್ಣ | an orange (ಕಿತ್ತಳೆ), marigold flowers |
| Brown | ಕಂದು | soil, a coconut shell |
| Black | ಕಪ್ಪು | hair, a crow |
| White | ಬಿಳಿ | milk, rice, idli |
| Grey | ಬೂದು | a rain cloud, an elephant |
A small trap for learners: ಕಪ್ಪು (kappu) means black, while ಕಪ್ಪೆ (kappe) means frog. Say them one after the other and let your child hear the difference.
Red and yellow: the colours of Kannada Rajyotsava
The Kannada flag is yellow and red, ಹಳದಿ and ಕೆಂಪು. On Kannada Rajyotsava, 1 November, the day Karnataka state was formed in 1956, you will see these two colours on flags, shawls, school stages and auto-rickshaws across Bengaluru and the whole state. Many schools hold colour-themed dress days, and children draw the flag with crayons. It is the perfect week to practise these two colours.
Other festivals bring more colours. At Deepavali and Sankranti, families draw rangoli (ರಂಗೋಲಿ) at the door with coloured powders. Mysuru Dasara lights up the palace in gold and yellow. Ask your child to name every colour in a rangoli pattern.
How to teach colours to toddlers in Kannada
- One colour a week. Choose ಕೆಂಪು this week and point out everything red. Add one new colour each week.
- Sorting play. Sort blocks, buttons, socks or bangles into colour piles and name each pile.
- Snack colours. White idli, green chutney, red tomato, yellow banana: breakfast becomes a colour lesson.
- Colour walk. On a walk, spot ಹಸಿರು leaves, a ಕಪ್ಪು crow and ನೀಲಿ sky.
- Mix paints. For 4-5 year olds, mix yellow and blue to make green. Say it in Kannada: ಹಳದಿ and ನೀಲಿ make ಹಸಿರು.
Most children name a few colours by age three and most basic colours by four or five. If a child keeps mixing up red and green, or colours in general, mention it to your paediatrician at the next check-up.
How the colour game works
In Listen mode, every tap on a colour plays the Kannada name and then the English, so ಬೂದು is followed by "grey". In Find it, Golu asks for one colour and your child picks it from a few swatches. The number of choices follows the age you choose in Settings, so a two-year-old sees just two colours while a five-year-old gets more. A wrong tap is met with a gentle hint, never a "wrong". Memory asks your child to find matching colour pairs. Each game ends with a marble in the Goli Jar. Settings also offer high contrast, calm motion and calm sound, which help children who are sensitive to busy screens. Play for a few minutes with your child, then go on a colour hunt around the house.
ಪೋಷಕರಿಗೆ ಕನ್ನಡದಲ್ಲಿ
ಬಣ್ಣಗಳನ್ನು ಕಲಿಸುವುದು ತುಂಬಾ ಸುಲಭ, ಏಕೆಂದರೆ ನಮ್ಮ ಸುತ್ತಲೂ ಎಲ್ಲೆಡೆ ಬಣ್ಣಗಳಿವೆ. ಮಗುವಿನ ಬಟ್ಟೆ, ಆಟಿಕೆ, ತಿಂಡಿ ನೋಡಿ "ಇದು ಯಾವ ಬಣ್ಣ?" ಎಂದು ಕೇಳಿ.
ಕನ್ನಡ ರಾಜ್ಯೋತ್ಸವದ ದಿನ ಹಳದಿ ಮತ್ತು ಕೆಂಪು ಬಣ್ಣದ ಬಾವುಟವನ್ನು ತೋರಿಸಿ, ಆ ಎರಡು ಬಣ್ಣಗಳ ಹೆಸರನ್ನು ಕಲಿಸಿ. ಹಬ್ಬದ ರಂಗೋಲಿಯಲ್ಲಿರುವ ಬಣ್ಣಗಳನ್ನು ಗುರುತಿಸುವ ಆಟವನ್ನೂ ಆಡಬಹುದು.
ವಾರಕ್ಕೆ ಒಂದು ಬಣ್ಣ ಎಂಬಂತೆ ನಿಧಾನವಾಗಿ ಕಲಿಸಿ. ಮಗು ತಪ್ಪು ಹೇಳಿದರೆ ಸರಿಯಾದ ಹೆಸರನ್ನು ನಗುತ್ತಾ ಮತ್ತೆ ಹೇಳಿ.
Colours in a bilingual home
Colours are a great first topic for a child learning Kannada and English together, because the objects stay the same and only the words change. In the US, UK or the Gulf, try a "Kannada colour day" once a week, when everyone names colours only in Kannada. Crayon boxes, traffic lights and park slides all help. For English colour words, see colours name for kids, and for a follow-on game, try shapes for kids. Colours pair naturally with fruits in Kannada and vegetables in Kannada. Go back to learn Kannada for kids for all the games.
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: kannada 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.
