22 Chinese Colors | The Complete Guide (With FREE QUIZ)

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Learn All The Important Chinese Colors

Do you think knowing Chinese Colors and their meanings is important?

Recently I was on the train and I looked over the shoulder of a Chinese man checking his phone for the latest stock prices.

To my horror, everything on the screen was marked red!

I asked him “Gǔshì shìfǒu bēngkuì?” (股市是否崩溃?) Is the stock market crashing?

He turns to me laughing “hóngsè hěn hǎo”( 红色很好).

“Red is good” – Anonymous Commuter

Chinese Colors and their Meanings

One way you could really impress your Chinese colleagues is to show off your understanding of Chinese colors and meanings.

Also when buying your Chinese partner any gifts it’s probably a good idea to know lucky Chinese colours and unlucky Chinese colors.

Let’s go through them now:

Chinese Colors | Black in Chinese

Chinese Colors | White in Chinese

Chinese Colors | Red in Chinese

Chinese Colors | Pink in Chinese

Chinese Colors | Green in Chinese

Chinese Colors | Yellow in Chinese

Chinese Colors | Blue in Chinese

Chinese Colors | Purple in Chinese

Chinese Colors | Gray in Chinese

Chinese Colors | FREE QUIZ

Chinese Colors | FAQs

Think you know your Chinese colours already?

Test your knowledge of Chinese colors with our quiz, located at the bottom of this article.

Black in Chinese – 黑色 hēi sè

Black color in Chinese represents water. Ancient Chinese people regarded black as the king of colors. Today, Chinese culture associates it with evil and sadness.

It represents bad fortune and must not be worn to auspicious occasions like weddings and funerals.

The Chinese word for black is ‘hei’ which stands for bad luck, irregularity, and illegality.

Maybe don’t wear that really cool black shirt on a first date with a Chinese person.

White in Chinese – 白色 bái sè

Here is something you should definitely know before you attend a Chinese funeral.

Wear White! White is the color of mourning and is associated with Death.

White color in Chinese is also associated with metal, representing brightness, purity and fulfilment.

Quick before you read on. Why not learn how to speak all these colors in our new HOW TO series on Youtube?

Red in Chinese – 红色 hóng sè

Red not surprisingly corresponds with fire. It symbolises good fortune and joy.

You’ll see red everywhere during Chinese New Year.

Warning: do not write names in red ink!

In ancient times, a death row criminal’s name was written in chicken blood, later this evolved to being written in red ink.

Some people use red ink in a break-up letter, a curse for someone to die, or the news that a friend or relative has passed away. So just stick with your black and blue pens for your love letters.

Pink in Chinese – 粉色 fěn sè

Pink is considered to be a shade of red. Thus holds all the same meanings of good fortune and joy.

FUN FACT || In Chinese society, during holiday or special occasions they exchange a red envelope with money inside.

The red color of the envelope symbolizes good luck and is a symbol to ward off evil spirits.

Green in Chinese – 绿色 lǜ sè

Does your business sell green hats?

Well, I’ve got some bad news if you’re hoping to break into the Chinese market. Starting in the Yuan Dynasty (1279–1368) family members of prostitutes were forced to wear green hats.

Today, if you see someone wearing a green hat they wish for you to know their partner had been unfaithful.

Aside from the odd green hat rule.

Green in Chinese otherwise stands for clean and contamination free and is used on organic products.

Yellow in Chinese – 黄色 huáng sè

Yellow in Chinese represents the element of earth.

Yellow signifies neutrality and good luck and that’s why it’s common to see it paired with red.

Yellow in China traditionally symbolised power, royalty and prosperity. In Imperial China, yellow was the Emperor’s color.

Warning! Today, yellow is symbolic of pornography in publications in China.

Try to use as little yellow in your publications to avoid the wrong crowds reading your articles.

Blue in Chinese – 蓝色 lán sè

Despite Chinese people’s feelings on blue cheese (see video)…

Blue in Chinese represents healing, trust and calmness.

Ironically, we lost all trust with our Chinese teachers after making them eat something that doesn’t go down too well with natives!

They give us stinky Chinese food, we give them blue cheese!

Revenge is sweet! See how they react below…

Purple in Chinese – 紫色 zǐ sè

Purple in China represented divinity and immortality in ancient times.

That is still true to this day.

Today purple in Chinese is more associated with love or romance particularly with younger generations.

Gray in Chinese – 灰色 huī sè

Grey in Chinese symbolises humbleness and unassumingness.

In ancient times, ordinary people wore grey clothes and had grey houses.

Today, Grey in Chinese can be used to describe something dark, tarnished, or represent gloomy weather and emotions.

Olympic Colors in Chinese

China has come a long way since Xu Haifeng won the nation’s first-ever gold medal in the 1984 Olympics’ ’50m pistol’ shooting event. The Olympic medal colors, however, have a much longer history in China. Read on to find out to say these colors and find out about their significance through China’s history.

Colors in Chinese | Gold in Chinese

Colors in Chinese | Silver in Chinese

Colors in Chinese | Bronze in Chinese

Gold in Chinese – 金色 jīn sè

Gold is traditionally the color of prosperity and fortune in China.

You will often see it paired with red for special occasions and gifts. Yellow or Gold is traditionally considered the most beautiful in Chinese culture.

Gold also represents freedom from worldly cares which is why it is also often used in Buddhist temples.

Gold represents the color of a winning Olympian!

Silver in Chinese – 银色 yín sè

Silver is generally considered to be part of the ‘white’ family of colours.

It symbolises the idea of purity and wealth.

In Chinese the word for this color is literally 银 “silver” 色 “color”.

Silver represents a 2nd placed finish for an Olympian.

Bronze in Chinese – 古铜色 gǔ tóng sè

As in English, the word for Bronze color refers directly to the metal that inspired the name.

In Chinese the word for Bronze is 古 “ancient” 铜 “metal” 色 “color”.

In museums across China you can find many ancient Chinese tools, pots and other artefacts made out of the metal.

Bronze represents the 3rd placed finish for an Olympian.

More Obscure Colors in Chinese

Maybe you’re thinking of sprucing up your Hutong apartment by giving it a lick of paint or choosing a vibrant new wallpaper.

Or perhaps you just like talking about things with a certain amount of precision.

If so, you might want to learn the words for some of these extra, more obscure colors in Chinese.

Of course, there’s a whole catalogue of color names to get through, but here are some to start off your rainbow journey:

Colors in Chinese | Azure in Chinese

Colors in Chinese | Saffron in Chinese

Colors in Chinese | Turquoise in Chinese

Colors in Chinese | Cerise in Chinese

Colors in Chinese | Maroon in Chinese

Colors in Chinese | Lilac in Chinese

Colors in Chinese | Tan in Chinese

Colors in Chinese | Indigo in Chinese

Colors in Chinese | Beige in Chinese

Colors in Chinese | Violet in Chinese

Azure in Chinese / Saffron in Chinese

Turquoise in Chinese / Cerise in Chinese

Maroon in Chinese / Lilac in Chinese

Tan in Chinese / Indigo in Chinese

Beige in Chinese / Violet in Chinese

Want to discover more ways to learn Mandarin online – great! We’ve got two more things for you.

Chinese Colors Quiz

Let’s put you to the test and see how many of those colours you can remember with our Colors Quiz!

It’s really quick, super simple and the results are immediate! Share your score below if you are happy with it!

Welcome to your Chinese Colors

Name Email None 黑色 (hēi sè) Black Silver Azure Purple None 黄色 (huáng sè) Yellow Red Saffron Beige None 蓝色 (lán sè) Blue Bronze Indigo Tan None None 紫色 (zǐ sè) Purple Yellow Black Silver None 粉色 (fěn sè) Pink Green Tan Violet None 红色 (hóng sè) Red Maroon Green White None 白色 (bái sè) White Indigo Yellow Green None 绿色 (lǜ sè) Green Grey Gold Cerise None 灰色 (huī sè) Grey Beige Bronze Lilac None 金色 (jīn sè) Gold Tan Violet Azure None 银色 (yín sè) Silver Turquoise Grey Red None 古铜色 (gǔ tóng sè) Bronze Blue Lilac Pink None 天蓝色 (tiānlán sè) Azure Violet Red Yellow None 桔黄色 (júhuáng sè) Saffron Black Silver Indigo None 绿蓝色 (lǜlán sè) Turquoise Azure Blue Purple None 水红色 (shuǐhóng sè) Cerise White Maroon Blue None 栗色 (lì sè) Maroon Cerise White Saffron None 芋头色 (yùtou sè) Lilac Purple Blue Gold None 棕褐色 (zōng hésè) Tan Pink Maroon Grey None 靛色 (diàn sè) Indigo Saffron Beige Black None 米黄色 (mǐhuáng sè) Beige Lilac Cerise Bronze None 堇色 (jǐn sè) Violet Gold Purple Maroon None

Time's up

If you REALLY love learning the colors in other languages, why not check out how to say all these colors in Vietnamese, Japanese, Korean and Spanish as well also!

Chinese Colors || FAQs

How do you say Gold in Chinese?

Gold in Chinese is 金色 jīn sè.

How do you say Green in Chinese?

Green in Chinese is 绿色 lǜ sè.

How do you say Red in Chinese?

Red in Chinese is 红色 hóng sè.

How do you say White in Chinese?

White in Chinese is 白色 bái sè.

How do you say Yellow in Chinese?

Yellow in Chinese is 黄色 huáng sè.

What is the most popular colour in Chinese culture?

Red is. Red symbolises fortune and joy and is seen widely across China, not least the Chinese flag. Red in Chinese is 红色 hóng sè.

Is Black a good colour in Chinese culture?

Black represents bad fortune and must not be worn to auspicious occasions like weddings and funerals.

Do Chinese wear white clothes to funerals?

Yes they do. White is the color of mourning and is associated with Death. Something very important to note in Chinese culture if you happen to ever go a Chinese funeral.

What is the situation with wearing green hats in China?

Wearing a green hat is something you should avoid at all costs.

Here is why.

Starting in the Yuan Dynasty (1279–1368) family members of prostitutes were forced to wear green hats.

Even to this day, if someone is seen wearing a green hat, you might be thought of in ways you least expected!

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1. […] Meaning: Golden Gate  (金 Jīn = Gold; 门 mén = […]

2. […] the Temple of Heaven, there are 240 clove trees that line up to create a sea of color. You can find them near the Hall of […]

3. […] the group so large we divided the students into two groups, a yellow team and a blue team (LTL colours of […]

4. […] the colour black in Chinese represents illegality, so it could be translated as ‘illegal guest’, a fitting term […]

5. […] 68. More than 30 million people live in caves in China, in Shaanxi province. 69. White is the colour of mourning and thus is always worn at funerals as a symbol of death. 70. Red is always worn at […]

6. Great info, thanks for sharing this! Loving the depth of colours you've gone to!

   1. That was the plan, you can find Red, Yellow and Blue everywhere... but what about Bronze, Silver and Gold?!

      LTL Team

      1. hen hao

7. […] one of the most commonly used colours because it represents wealth and fortune. However the most common colour at a Chinese wedding is […]

8. […] gemstones have a colour followed by the characters for gemstone (宝石) or stone (石) afterwards. However, you’ll […]

9. Thx for all the colors in chinese thank you so much.

   1. Our pleasure Evon!

10. […] powder – 古铜粉 (gǔ tóng fěn), 古铜 is the colour bronze. However, you’re unlikely to see many Chinese people wearing bronzing powder as a pale […]

11. […] White is the colour of mourning and thus is always worn at funerals as a symbol of […]

12. Like the Olympic ones!

    1. 🥇🥈🥉

13. […] Silver is generally considered to be part of the 'white' family of colours. It symbolises the idea of purity and wealth. In Chinese the word for this color is literally 银 “silver” 色 “color”. via […]

14. hen hao

15. […] https://ltl-taiwan.com/chinese-colors/#chapter-1 […]

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