Colours in Korean: word list with pictures
12 words · tap 🔊 to hear each one in Korean.
| Picture | English | Korean | Say it | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Red | 빨간색 | ppalgansaek | ||
| Yellow | 노란색 | noransaek | ||
| Blue | 파란색 | paransaek | ||
| Green | 초록색 | choroksaek | ||
| Orange | 주황색 | juhwangsaek | ||
| Purple | 보라색 | borasaek | ||
| Pink | 분홍색 | bunhongsaek | ||
| Brown | 갈색 | galsaek | ||
| Black | 검은색 | geomeunsaek | ||
| White | 흰색 | huinsaek | ||
| Grey | 회색 | hoesaek | ||
| Sky Blue | 하늘색 | haneulsaek |
Colors in Korean are easy to spot in a sentence, because most colour names end in 색 (saek), which means "colour". Red is 빨간색 (ppalgansaek) and sky blue is 하늘색 (haneulsaek), literally "sky colour". This page has 12 colours with clear audio and romanization for grown-ups. Tap a colour to hear it in Korean and English, then play Find it, where Golu asks for a colour and your child taps it.
Colour names in Korean
The 12 colours in the word list above are 빨간색 (red), 노란색 (noransaek, yellow), 파란색 (paransaek, blue), 초록색 (choroksaek, green), 주황색 (juhwangsaek, orange), 보라색 (borasaek, purple), 분홍색 (bunhongsaek, pink), 갈색 (galsaek, brown), 검은색 (geomeunsaek, black), 흰색 (huinsaek, white), 회색 (hoesaek, grey) and 하늘색 (sky blue). Several have a nature story: 하늘색 is the sky, and 초록 comes from the colour of grass.
Three ways to say red: 빨강, 빨간색, 빨간
Korean has a few forms for the main colours, and your child will hear all of them:
| Colour | Noun | With 색 | Before a thing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Red | 빨강 | 빨간색 | 빨간 사과 (a red apple) |
| Yellow | 노랑 | 노란색 | 노란 바나나 |
| Blue | 파랑 | 파란색 | 파란 하늘 (a blue sky) |
| Black | 검정 | 검은색 | 검은 고양이 |
| White | 하양 | 흰색 | 흰 구름 (a white cloud) |
Children's crayon boxes and songs often use the short forms, 빨강, 노랑, 파랑. You do not need to teach the difference; just describe things naturally while you play, and your child will copy the patterns by age four or five.
"What colour is this?" in Korean
Ask "이건 무슨 색이야?" (Igeon museun saegiya?). Your child can answer with just the colour: 빨간색! Use it while getting dressed, stacking blocks or colouring. On the colouring pages, let your child ask you in Korean which colour to pick next.
Traditional Korean colours: obangsaek and saekdong
Korean tradition has five cardinal colours called 오방색 (obangsaek): blue, red, yellow, white and black, linked to the directions and the centre. You will see them in temple paintings, festival decorations and the bright wrapping cloths called 보자기. Children's hanbok for Seollal and first birthdays often have rainbow-striped sleeves called 색동 (saekdong), believed to bring good health. Count the stripes and name each colour together.
The South Korean flag, 태극기, is a good colour lesson too: a red and blue circle on a white background with four black bar patterns. Draw it with your child on Hangul Day or Liberation Day.
Red, blue, green: quick answers
Red in Korean is 빨간색 or 빨강. Blue in Korean is 파란색. Green in Korean is 초록색, also said 녹색. Yellow in Korean is 노란색, pink in Korean is 분홍색 (or 핑크), purple in Korean is 보라색, black in Korean is 검은색 and white in Korean is 흰색. Like Japanese, older Korean uses one word, 푸르다, for both blue and green, so a green traffic light is often called 파란불, "blue light".
How to teach colours in Korean at home
- Age 2-3: one colour a week. Hunt for everything 빨간색 in the house.
- Age 3-4: colour sorting with socks, blocks or fruit, naming each pile.
- Age 4-5: describe things: 노란 바나나, 초록 오이. Link to fruits in Korean.
- Age 5-6: paint a rainbow (무지개, mujigae) and a saekdong sleeve, naming each stripe.
Colour names are abstract, so many children mix them up until three or four, in every language. Name colours often, never quiz until your child is upset, and praise careful looking: "잘 봤어!"
If you are worried your child cannot tell colours apart, talk to your paediatrician; colour vision differences are common and easy to support. In the game, the settings offer fewer choices and high contrast.
For heritage and bilingual families
Seollal is a colourful time for Korean families abroad: dress up in hanbok, name the colours of the saekdong stripes and make a colourful 보자기 gift wrap. The word list above prints from your browser if you want a colour chart for the wall. Compare with colours in Japanese, which also mixes blue and green, or with colours in Thai.
색깔 이름으로 놀아요
색깔 이름은 매일 놀이 속에서 자연스럽게 배울 수 있어요. "이건 무슨 색이야?" 하고 물어보고, 아이가 "빨간색!" 하고 대답하면 "맞아, 빨간 사과네!" 하고 이어서 말해 주세요.
설날에는 색동저고리의 줄무늬를 함께 세어 보고, 비 온 뒤에는 무지개를 찾아보세요. 오방색 이야기를 들려주며 파랑, 빨강, 노랑, 하양, 검정을 함께 말해 보는 것도 좋아요. 아이가 색깔을 헷갈려도 괜찮아요. 천천히, 즐겁게 배워요.
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: korean 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.
