When you’re learning Vietnamese, color is a very interesting topic that helps you describe things around you and makes your story more interesting. Besides, in Vietnamese culture, each color also has a different meaning.
Therefore, Jellyfish has synthesized all about colors in Vietnamese in today’s article, which will help a lot in your Vietnamese learning process. Find out now!
I. 30+ common colors in Vietnamese
First of all, ‘color’ in Vietnamese means “màu”. “Màu” is added before the color name in Vietnamese but you can also remove it without changing the meaning of the word. Let’s find out the most common colors in Vietnamese through the table below:
| English | Vietnamese |
| Black | Màu đen |
| Blue | Màu xanh dương / Màu lam |
| Baby blue | Màu xanh nhạt |
| Light blue | Màu xanh da trời |
| Navy | Màu xanh da trời đậm |
| Midnight | Màu xanh đen |
| Brown | Màu nâu |
| Caramel | Màu nâu cháy |
| Grey / Gray | Màu xám |
| Light grey | Màu xám nhạt |
| Dark grey | Màu xám đậm |
| Green | Màu xanh lá cây / Màu xanh lục |
| Dark green | Xanh lá cây đậm |
| Chlorophyll | Màu xanh diệp lục |
| Olive | Màu xanh ô-liu |
| Orange | Màu cam |
| Purple | Màu tím |
| Grape | Màu tím thẫm |
| Orchid | Màu tím nhạt |
| Lavender | Màu tím la-ven-đơ |
| Red | Màu đỏ |
| Cherry | Màu đỏ anh đào |
| Wine | Màu đỏ rượu vang |
| Reddish | Màu đỏ nhạt |
| Plum | Màu đỏ mận |
| Brick | Màu đỏ nâu |
| White | Màu trắng |
| Yellow | Màu vàng |
| Yellowish/ Pale yellow | Màu vàng nhạt |
| Neon yellow | Màu vàng neon |
| Pink | Màu hồng |
| Baby pink | Màu hồng nhạt |
| Salmon | Màu cam san hô |
| Murrey | Màu hồng tím |
| Neon pink | Màu hồng neon |
| Silver | Màu bạc |
| Gold | Màu đồng |
II. What does color mean in Vietnamese? – Colors in Vietnamese
Each color has a different meaning depending on the context in which it is used. Furthermore, each color has multiple meanings in each culture and can change over time. When learning Vietnamese, you will discover that a color can add a variety of meanings/intentions to your sentences. Let’s find out the meaning of colors in Vietnamese culture with Jellyfish:
| Color | Meaning in Vietnamese culture |
| Màu đen (Black) |
|
| Màu trắng (White) |
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| Màu đỏ (Red) |
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| Màu vàng (Yellow) |
|
| Màu xanh dương (Blue) |
|
| Màu hồng (Pink) |
|
| Màu xám (Grey) |
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| Màu tím (Purple) |
|
See more: Discover Animals in Vietnamese
III, Some idioms and phrases about color in Vietnamese
Color idioms and phrases are prevalently used in both spoken and written Vietnamese, making sentences/dialogues more exciting. Please refer and guess the meaning of the idioms below with Jellyfish!
a. Black
Used to talk about bad luck, unlucky:
- Đen như mực (As black as ink)
- Đen như chó (As black as a dog)
Describe the girl’s hair:
- Đen như gỗ mun (As black as ebony)
b. White
Used to describe skin (especially a girl’s):
- Trắng như tuyết (As white as snow)
- Trắng ngà/ Trắng như ngà (As white as elephant’s tusk)
- Giấy trắng mực đen (Full of evidence, undeniable)
- Đổi trắng thay đen (Concealing the truth by lying or giving false evidence)
c. Yellow
- Vàng như nghệ (As yellow as turmeric)
d. Green
- Xanh như tàu lá chuối (Describe the face of the sick person)
e. Red
- Đỏ như son (Very lucky)
- Mặt đỏ tía tai (Express your anger)
- Đỏ da, thắm thịt (Show good health)
f. Grey
Used to talk about treachery, not respecting what you have received:
- Bạc tình bạc nghĩa
- Bạc như vôi
With today’s article from Jellyfish, we believe that you can completely use the vocabulary of colors in Vietnamese fluently in daily communication with native speakers. When learning Vietnamese, try to use a lot of idioms and phrases about colors, surely Vietnamese people will find you very cool!
If you are looking for a comprehensive Vietnamese course that will help you communicate with native speakers naturally and understand more about Vietnamese culture. Please refer to the special courses at Jellyfish:
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