Is your child learning Chinese? Colors are one of the essential building blocks of their Chinese vocabulary. Children experience the world through the vibrant colors that appear all around us. In addition, learning and naming colors are important for their development. Learning the essential colors in Chinese will give them the ability to describe objects, animals, fruits, places, and more.
Did they play with a red ball during recess?
Do they want to buy a pink dress?
Is their favorite toy orange?
Teaching your child their colors in Chinese will help them describe the world around them. It is an important building block in their Chinese vocabulary, and you’ll be surprised how often they use colors in everyday conversation.
Let’s teach your little one their colors! We suggest playing games and using colors little by little to help them learn in no time. We’ve included a list of 16 essential colors, how to use the colors in a sentence, and some fun tips to help your child memorize them.
List of the 16 Essential Colors in Chinese
Name | Chinese characters | Pinyin |
Red | 红色 | Hóng sè |
Orange | 橘子色 | Jú zi sè |
Yellow | 黄色 | Huáng sè |
Green | 绿色 | Lǜ sè |
Blue | 蓝色 | Lán sè |
Navy blue | 蓝色海军 | Lán sè hǎi jūn |
Purple | 紫色 | Zǐ sè |
Magenta | 品红 | Pǐn hóng |
Pink | 粉色 | Fěn sè |
Gray | 灰色 | Huī sè de |
Gold | 金色的 | Jīn sè de |
Beige or Tan | 浅褐色 | Qiǎn hésè |
Brown | 棕色 | Zōng sè |
Silver | 银色 | Yín sè |
Black | 黑色 | Hēi sè |
White | 白色 | Bái sè |
Now that you know the 16 most used colors in Chinese, let’s help your child learn how to use them in a sentence.
Learn how to create a sentence about colors in Chinese
Creating a sentence using your color vocabulary is easy! Like with English, in Chinese, you use the color before your noun — just like you would any other adjective.
Example 1: Using color as an adjective
orange cat
橘子色 + 的 + 猫 (júzisè + de + māo)
In this example, we use the following formula: Color + 的 (de) + noun
This formula can be used for describing the color of any noun.
Sarah has a blue shirt. 莎拉有一件蓝色的衬衫。 Sarah yǒu yī jiàn lánsè de chènshān. I love pink balloons. 我喜欢粉色的气球。 Wǒ xǐhuān fěnsè de qìqiú.
Tim ate a purple candy. Tim 吃了一颗紫色的糖果。 Tim chīle yī kē zǐsè de tángguǒ.
Example 2: Using color as the "object" in a sentence
The bicycle is silver. 自行车是银色的。 Zìxíngchē shì yínsè de. The house is yellow. 房子是黄色的。 Fángzi shì huángsè de. The toy is green. 玩具是绿色的。 Wánjù shì lǜsè de.
In these examples, we use the formula: Color + 的de
5 Tips to help your child memorize their colors in Chinese
If your child can memorize their colors quickly, that’s great! However, most children will need support in their color learning journey. We’ve compiled five tips to help your child learn their colors in Chinese. With these tips and some encouragement from you, they will be able to say their colors in Chinese in no time. Just remember that learning Chinese vocabulary doesn’t have to be boring —we encourage you to have fun with the activities!
Tip #1: Play “I-Spy” with your child.
Choose 3-4 colors to play the “I-Spy” game with your child. To play the game, encourage your child to point out things that are one of the colors you choose. For example, if you choose the color green: Your child could say: “I-Spy with my little eye: a green turtle 一只绿色的海龟。Yī zhǐ lǜsè dì hǎiguī.”
Tip #2: Go on a Chinese color scavenger hunt.
Scavenger hunts are a fun and interactive way to engage your child with colors in Chinese. Pick a few colors that your child is familiar with. Then, give your child a few minutes to pick at least one item that is in that color. Make sure to say the color’s name in Chinese. During the game, your child will be able to recognize their colors in Chinese and associate everyday items in your home with them.
Tip #3: Make a colorful dinner or a snack with your child.
Want to explore colors in Chinese while cooking dinner? Here’s a fun activity: pick a few food-safe color dyes and put their names in Chinese on the bottles. Then, while making a fun snack or dinner, ask your child to help find a specific color and add it to the food. This could be a fun way to make colorful cookies, unicorn-colored ice cream, or even red mashed potatoes.
Tip #4: Create finger-paint art and talk about colors in Chinese.
Finger painting is a fun and creative way to talk about colors in Chinese. Grab a large canvas and finger paints to create a collaborative art piece with your child. Make sure to also include your child’s favorite color so they feel inspired. It doesn’t matter what type of art you create. Just make sure to talk about the colors you both use and have your child identify the colors in Chinese.
Tip #5: Explore colors in a picture book with your child.
Do you read with your child each night? You can explore colors in Chinese by reading picture books. During a story, you can ask your child what color the animals are, the color of the princess’s dress, or even the color of a mythical dragon’s scales that appear in the story. Remember, the book doesn’t need to be in Chinese. They only need to point out the colors in Chinese. This will engage your child to identify their colors in Chinese, all while improving their literacy skills in any language.
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