色 sè / shǎi — color; look; appearance; color; dice
我最喜欢的颜色是蓝色。Wǒ zuì xǐ huan de yán sè shì lán sè.My favorite color is blue.
Common words: 颜色 (yán sè)、红色 (hóng sè)、黑色 (hēi sè)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "color"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "color", including 色 (sè / shǎi), 色 (sè / shǎi), 彩 (cǎi), 颜 (yán). Study pinyin, English meanings…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "color" covers 4 different Chinese characters — 色 (sè / shǎi), 色 (sè / shǎi), 彩 (cǎi), 颜 (yán) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 4 characters do not share a sound — their readings span sè, shǎi, cǎi, yán — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 色 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 色 sè / shǎicolor; look; appearance; color; diceUseful words: 颜色, 红色
- 色 sè / shǎicolor; look; appearance; color; diceUseful words: 颜色, 红色
- 彩 cǎi(bright) color; variety; applause; applaud; (lottery) prize; coloredUseful words: 精彩, 彩色
- 颜 yán(surname); color; countenanceUseful words: 颜色, 五颜六色
Common words for these 4 "color" characters
Anchor each of these 4 characters in a word you can picture — start with 色 (sè / shǎi) — so "color" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
颜色yán sècolor; countenance; appearance; facial expression红色hóng sèred (color); revolutionary黑色hēi sèblack颜色yán sècolor; countenance; appearance; facial expression红色hóng sèred (color); revolutionary黑色hēi sèblack精彩jīng cǎiwonderful; marvelous; brilliant彩色cǎi sècolor; multicolored色彩sè cǎitint; coloring; coloration; (fig.) flavor颜色yán sècolor; countenance; appearance; facial expression
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 4 ways to say "color".
色 sè / shǎi — color; look; appearance; color; dice
我最喜欢的颜色是蓝色。Wǒ zuì xǐ huan de yán sè shì lán sè.My favorite color is blue.
Common words: 颜色 (yán sè)、红色 (hóng sè)、黑色 (hēi sè)
彩 cǎi — (bright) color; variety; applause; applaud; (lottery) prize; colored
雨后的天空出现了一道彩虹。Yǔ hòu de tiān kōng chū xiàn le yí dào cǎi hóng.A rainbow appeared in the sky after the rain.
Common words: 精彩 (jīng cǎi)、彩色 (cǎi sè)、色彩 (sè cǎi)
颜 yán — (surname); color; countenance
这幅画用了很多鲜艳的颜色。Zhè fú huà yòng le hěn duō xiān yàn de yán sè.This painting uses many bright colors.
Common words: 颜色 (yán sè)、五颜六色 (wǔ yán liù sè)、容颜 (róng yán)
All 4 characters
Open 色、色、彩 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.