Learning colors in French is a fun and easy way to expand your vocabulary. The basics like red, blue, and green are quite similar to English but there are some interesting differences too. In this article, we will go over the 50 most common colors in French along with their English translations.
The Primary Colors
Let’s start with the 3 primary colors that can be mixed to create all the others:
- Rouge – Red
- Jaune – Yellow
- Bleu – Blue
These 3 are very similar to English. One difference is that “bleu” can also mean navy blue in French. To specify light blue, you would say “bleu clair” or “bleu ciel” (sky blue).
Common Color Names
Here are some other common color names in French that you’ll use frequently:
- Noir – Black
- Blanc – White
- Gris – Gray
- Marron – Brown
- Orange – Orange
- Rose – Pink
- Violet – Purple
Again, these are quite similar to English. Unlike English, marron can refer to any shade of brown in French.
Bright Colors
Let’s continue our color tour with some bright shades:
- Vert – Green
- Magenta – Magenta
- Cyan – Cyan
- Turquoise – Turquoise
- Fuchsia – Fuchsia
- Lime – Lime
- Emeraude – Emerald
- Moutarde – Mustard
Most of these are self-explanatory but “moutarde” for mustard yellow is a fun one. The French word for mustard is “moutarde” so the color borrows the name.
Neutral Colors
French has many descriptive names for neutral and earth tones:
- Beige – Beige
- Écru – Ecru/Unbleached
- Sable – Sand
- Bronze – Bronze
- Argent – Silver
- Or – Gold
- Ivoire – Ivory
“Or” for gold and “argent” for silver show how the French names for metals became color names. Écru means unbleached and refers to a natural off-white color.
Shades of Blue
One distinctive aspect of French is the wide vocabulary for shades of blue. Here are some common ones:
- Azur – Azure
- Bleu marine – Navy blue
- Bleu roi – Royal blue
- Bleu ciel – Sky blue
- Bleu nuit – Night blue
- Bleu clair – Light blue
“Bleu marine” and “bleu nuit” are dark shades, while “bleu ciel” and “bleu clair” are light. “Bleu roi” was historically the blue used on the robes of French kings.
Shades of Red
Like blue, French has many descriptive terms for different shades of red:
- Rouge âcre – Acrid red
- Rouge brique – Brick red
- Rouge cerise – Cherry red
- Rouge corail – Coral red
- Rouge écarlate – Scarlet
- Rouge rubis – Ruby red
“Rouge cerise” and “rouge rubis” refer to the colors of cherries and rubies. “Écarlate” means a vivid scarlet. There are even more red shades, showing how culturally important the color is.
More Color Descriptors
French often adds extra descriptors to color names to create very specific shades:
- Vert pomme – Apple green
- Jaune citron – Lemon yellow
- Gris souris – Mouse gray
- Brun chocolat – Chocolate brown
- Rose bonbon – Candy pink
This allows for more nuanced color names like apple green vs regular green. Colors are associated with familiar objects and foods.
Compound Color Names
French also combines multiple color names to make new shades:
- Bleu-vert – Blue-green
- Rouge-orangé – Red-orange
- Jaune-vert – Yellow-green
- Gris-bleu – Blue-gray
- Rose-orangé – Pink-orange
Simply joining two colors creates a blended shade. This allows for colors like blue-green that don’t have their own names in English.
Whimsical Color Names
In addition to descriptive names, French occasionally has whimsical color terms:
- Bleuet – Cornflower blue
- Abricot – Apricot
- Amande – Almond
- Pêche – Peach
- Lilas – Lilac
- Framboise – Raspberry
These colors are named after flowers, fruits, and other objects they resemble. It makes learning colors much more fun!
Conclusion
While French shares basic color names with English, it also has a vast vocabulary for distinct shades. Descriptors, compounds, and whimsical terms allow for very precise color identification. Learning these names will greatly expand your ability to discuss color in French.
Here is a quick recap of the 50 colors we covered:
| Rouge | Red |
| Jaune | Yellow |
| Bleu | Blue |
| Noir | Black |
| Blanc | White |
| Gris | Gray |
| Marron | Brown |
| Orange | Orange |
| Rose | Pink |
| Violet | Purple |
| Vert | Green |
| Magenta | Magenta |
| Cyan | Cyan |
| Turquoise | Turquoise |
| Fuchsia | Fuchsia |
| Lime | Lime |
| Emeraude | Emerald |
| Moutarde | Mustard |
| Beige | Beige |
| Écru | Ecru |
| Sable | Sand |
| Bronze | Bronze |
| Argent | Silver |
| Or | Gold |
| Ivoire | Ivory |
| Azur | Azure |
| Bleu marine | Navy blue |
| Bleu roi | Royal blue |
| Bleu ciel | Sky blue |
| Bleu nuit | Night blue |
| Bleu clair | Light blue |
| Rouge âcre | Acrid red |
| Rouge brique | Brick red |
| Rouge cerise | Cherry red |
| Rouge corail | Coral red |
| Rouge écarlate | Scarlet |
| Rouge rubis | Ruby red |
| Vert pomme | Apple green |
| Jaune citron | Lemon yellow |
| Gris souris | Mouse gray |
| Brun chocolat | Chocolate brown |
| Rose bonbon | Candy pink |
| Bleu-vert | Blue-green |
| Rouge-orangé | Red-orange |
| Jaune-vert | Yellow-green |
| Gris-bleu | Blue-gray |
| Rose-orangé | Pink-orange |
| Bleuet | Cornflower blue |
| Abricot | Apricot |
| Amande | Almond |
| Pêche | Peach |
| Lilas | Lilac |
| Framboise | Raspberry |
With this vocabulary, you’ll be able to precisely describe any color in French! Don’t be intimidated by the large number of terms—just start with the basics and add more descriptive colors as you grow your skills.
