Colors are one of the most practical vocabulary topics in any language. In Arabic, color words change form to match the gender of the noun they describe — a concept called adjective agreement. Learning colors is a great way to practice this important grammar rule.
The 12 Main Colors
| Color | Arabic (m.) | Arabic (f.) | Transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| red | أحمر | حمراء | ahmar / ḥamraa’ | red |
| blue | أزرق | زرقاء | azraq / zarqaa’ | blue |
| green | أخضر | خضراء | akhḍar / khadraa’ | green |
| yellow | أصفر | صفراء | asfar / ṣafraa’ | yellow |
| white | أبيض | بيضاء | abyaḍ / baydaa’ | white |
| black | أسود | سوداء | aswad / sawdaa’ | black |
| brown | بني | بنية | bunnee / bunayya | brown |
| gray | رمادي | رمادية | ramaadee / ramaadiyya | gray |
| pink | وردي | وردية | wardee / wardeeYYa | pink |
| orange | برتقالي | برتقالية | burtuqaalee / burtuqaaliyya | orange |
| purple | بنفسجي | بنفسجية | banafsajee / banafsajiyya | purple |
| gold | ذهبي | ذهبية | dhahabee / dhahabiyya | gold |
Gender Agreement Rule
Color words in Arabic are adjectives and must agree with the noun in both gender and definiteness:
| Noun Gender | Color Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine | Masculine color | كتاب أحمر (kitaabun ahmar) — a red book |
| Feminine | Feminine color | سيارة حمراء (sayyaaratun ḥamraa’) — a red car |
Key Rule: The feminine form of most colors ends in ـاء (alif maqsura + hamza), similar to the pattern for feminine nouns ending in ة.
Colors in Sentences
| Arabic | Transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| السيارة حمراء | as-sayyaara ḥamraa’ | the car is red |
| الكتاب أزرق | al-kitābu azraq | the book is blue |
| القميص أبيض | al-qameeṣu abyaḍ | the shirt is white |
| الحقيبة سوداء | al-ḥaqība sawdaa’ | the bag is black |
| الزهرة صفراء | az-zahra ṣafraa’ | the flower is yellow |
| العين خضراء | al-3ayn khadraa’ | the eye is green |
Definite Colors
When colors are definite (with ال), they follow the noun:
| Arabic | Transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| الكتاب الأحمر | al-kitābu l-ahmar | the red book |
| السيارة الحمراء | as-sayyaara l-ḥamraa’ | the red car |
| القميص الأبيض | al-qameeṣu l-abyaḍ | the white shirt |
Colors in Daily Life
Colors are useful for many situations:
Clothing:
- أريد قميصاً أزرقاً — I want a blue shirt
- هل عندك فستان أحمر؟ — Do you have a red dress?
Food:
- التفاح أحمر والليمون أصفر — The apple is red and the lemon is yellow
- الخضروات خضراء — The vegetables are green
Nature:
- السماء زرقاء — The sky is blue
- العشب أخضر — The grass is green
Listen and Repeat
Red
ahmar
Blue
azraq
Green
akhḍar
Yellow
asfar
White
abyaḍ
Black
aswad
Practice
How do you say 'the car is red' in Arabic?
hint: Car is feminine, so use the feminine color form
What is the feminine form of 'أزرق' (blue)?
hint: Most feminine colors end in ـاء
How do you say 'the red book' in Arabic?
hint: Use the definite article ال before the color
Match each pair — start with Arabic (left)
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