Colors in Russian: 18 Words With Audio
Colors are one of the most useful early vocabulary sets - you reach for them constantly, and they make great flashcards because each one ties to a vivid image. Here are the 18 most common Russian color words, each with transliteration, meaning and audio you can hear right now.
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Word reference
| Russian | Translit. | Meaning | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| цвет | tsvet | color | |
| красный | krásnyy | red | |
| оранжевый | oránzhevyy | orange | |
| жёлтый | zhóltyy | yellow | |
| зелёный | zelyónyy | green | |
| синий | síniy | blue (dark) | |
| голубой | golubóy | light blue | |
| фиолетовый | fiolétovyy | purple | |
| розовый | rózovyy | pink | |
| коричневый | koríchnevyy | brown | |
| чёрный | chyórnyy | black | |
| белый | bélyy | white | |
| серый | séryy | gray | |
| золотой | zolotóy | gold(en) | |
| серебряный | serébryanyy | silver | |
| светлый | svétlyy | light (shade) | |
| тёмный | tyómnyy | dark (shade) | |
| яркий | yárkiy | bright |
Example sentences
Это красное яблоко.
Eto krásnoye yábloko.
This is a red apple.
Мой любимый цвет - синий.
Moy lyubímyy tsvet - síniy.
My favorite color is blue.
Небо сегодня голубое.
Nébo sevódnya golubóye.
The sky is light blue today.
FAQ
What is the Russian word for red?
Red is красный (krásnyy). Like most Russian colors it is an adjective, so its ending changes to agree with the noun: красное яблоко (a red apple, neuter), красная машина (a red car, feminine).
Why are there two words for blue in Russian?
Russian treats dark blue (синий, síniy) and light blue (голубой, golubóy) as two separate basic colors, not shades of one. Both are everyday words, so it is worth learning them as a pair from the start.
Do Russian color words change their endings?
Yes. Colors are adjectives, so they agree with the noun in gender, number and case. The dictionary form shown here is the masculine singular (for example зелёный); you will also meet зелёная, зелёное and зелёные.
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