Colours in Portuguese (Brazil): word list with pictures
12 words · tap 🔊 to hear each one in Portuguese (Brazil).
| Picture | English | Portuguese (Brazil) | Say it | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Red | Vermelho | |||
| Yellow | Amarelo | |||
| Blue | Azul | |||
| Green | Verde | |||
| Orange | Laranja | |||
| Purple | Roxo | |||
| Pink | Rosa | |||
| Brown | Marrom | |||
| Black | Preto | |||
| White | Branco | |||
| Grey | Cinza | |||
| Sky Blue | Azul-claro |
Colours in Portuguese are among the first adjectives a child learns, and you can practise them anywhere: socks, cars, fruit, crayons. This page has 12 colours with clear Brazilian audio, from vermelho (red) and amarelo (yellow) to marrom (brown), cinza (grey) and azul-claro (light blue). Tap a colour to hear it, then play Find it: Golu names a colour and your child taps the matching picture.
The 12 colours in this game
Your child will hear vermelho, amarelo, azul, verde, laranja, roxo, rosa, marrom, preto, branco, cinza and azul-claro. Begin with the three primary colours, vermelho, amarelo and azul, and add one more each week. Verde and rosa are usually quick; roxo (purple) is the one that confuses children longest, in Portuguese as in English.
Mix colours, learn words
The fun facts on the colour cards are real mini science lessons. Try each one with paint or play dough:
| Mix | Makes | Say it |
|---|---|---|
| blue + yellow | green | Azul com amarelo faz verde. |
| red + yellow | orange | Vermelho com amarelo faz laranja. |
| red + blue | purple | Vermelho com azul faz roxo. |
| red + white | pink | Vermelho com branco faz rosa. |
| black + white | grey | Preto com branco faz cinza. |
Children aged 4 and up love to predict the result before they mix. Ask "Que cor vai dar?" ("What colour will it make?") and wait.
Why vermelho sometimes becomes vermelha
Many Portuguese colours change their ending to match the thing they describe: o carro vermelho (the red car) but a bola vermelha (the red ball); o sapato preto but a meia preta. Others never change: azul, verde, marrom, cinza, and rosa and laranja, which are named after a flower and a fruit. The game uses the basic form. When you talk, just use the form that fits and your child will hear the pattern hundreds of times.
Colour words in Brazil and Portugal
Three colours on this page change in Portugal. The colours in European Portuguese game uses Portugal's words and voice.
| Colour | Brazil | Portugal |
|---|---|---|
| brown | marrom | castanho |
| grey | cinza | cinzento |
| pink | rosa | cor-de-rosa |
In Brazil, castanho exists too, but mostly for hair and eyes: olhos castanhos, brown eyes.
Colours in Brazilian life
The Brazilian flag is a ready-made colour lesson: a verde background, a amarelo diamond, a azul globe with branco stars and a white band. During Carnaval, costumes, feathers and confetti make every colour appear at once; ask your child to name three colours they can see in a Carnaval photo. In June, Festa Junina brings strings of small paper flags in every colour, perfect for a counting and colour game together.
Colour games for home
- Colour hunt: say "Ache alguma coisa azul!" ("Find something blue!") and race around the room.
- Snack sorting: sort fruit by colour with the fruits in Portuguese game: banana amarela, morango vermelho.
- Getting dressed: name one colour on each piece of clothing every morning.
- Colour your body: draw around your child's hand and colour each finger; then learn the finger words on body parts in Portuguese.
- Bilingual pairs: compare with the English words on colours name in English.
For children with colour-vision differences, which are more common in boys, focus on light and dark and on naming objects ("the banana is yellow") rather than testing. If you notice your child regularly mixing red and green, mention it to your paediatrician.
What to expect by age
Most 2-year-olds can match colours before they can name them, so start with "find the same". By 3, many children name two to four colours. By 4, most know the basic set, and by 5 or 6 they can describe things with colour and size together, like "uma bola grande e azul". Brazil's preschool curriculum treats colour as part of exploring art, shapes and the world, so painting, drawing and collage are the natural way in.
Light and dark shades
Once your child knows the main colours, add claro (light) and escuro (dark). The game already has azul-claro, the colour of the sky on a sunny day. Play with it: verde-claro for a young leaf, verde-escuro for a forest, azul-escuro for the night sea. Line up crayons from light to dark and say each one together. This small step builds describing words children use for years.
Cores para crianças
Nesta página a criança aprende 12 cores com áudio em português do Brasil: vermelho, amarelo, azul, verde, laranja, roxo, rosa, marrom, preto, branco, cinza e azul-claro.
Misture tintas e descubra novas cores: azul com amarelo faz verde, vermelho com branco faz rosa. Brinque de caça às cores pela casa e olhe as cores da bandeira do Brasil. Aprender cores é pintar, brincar e conversar.
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: portuguese (brazil) 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.
